DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A mom is calling for accountability in the Dekalb County School District after a massive fight at Miller Grove High School.
Dozens of kids were caught on camera brawling in the school lobby.
April Long said her 15-year-old son was one of a handful of arrests made during the incident. She describes the 10th grader as a straight 'A' student with a part-time job and lots of extracurricular activities.
According to Long, he was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time and is now paying too steep a price.
"He said it was just chaos. And there were no adults to break it up," Long explained. "He was trying to avoid the fight, but got hit a few times in the back of the head and had to defend himself."
She says the school resource officer showed up after her son, Josh, got involved. Videos show that officer pepper-spraying her son.
"He was only standing about a foot away from Joshua when he deployed the pepper spray and he sprayed it right in his face while Josh was standing up against the wall with his hands back," Long said.
She went on to explain that the officer arrested Josh along with four other kids.
Her son texted her right away, but Long said she wasn’t notified by the school for another nine hours. According to her, she should have been notified immediately.
"If I had waited for that phone call, my kid would have spent the night in a juvenile detention center. He doesn't deserve that," she said. "I have to sign a permission slip for my kids to go to Fernbank. How was I not notified?"
Long said what's even more concerning is Josh has asthma, and because the school listed his name incorrectly, he was booked under the wrong name. That means the juvenile detention center didn't know he might need medical attention.
Long eventually hired an attorney and was able to get the charges against Josh dropped, but he was still suspended for 10 days — a punishment she doesn't find fair at all.
"The students have been held accountable. Will the adults be held accountable?" she asked.
A district spokesperson sent 11Alive this statement about the altercation:
The safety and well-being of DCSD students and staff remain a top priority. DCSD police responded to a physical altercation that involved the student on Sept. 8, 2021. Measures were taken to control the situation by the DCSD School Resource Officer, including discharging OC (oleoresin capsicum) spray. As a result, multiple students have been charged.
Student behaviors are governed by the DCSD Code of Conduct, which has levels of consequences for fighting — including counseling, suspension, and expulsion. Miller Grove High School has had several fights this school year, and the school has put measures in place to address fighting, including conflict resolution measures, parent meetings, social and emotional support, parent support, and additional public safety resources.