State And Regional

‘That should not be going on;’ Lorain school staff under investigation after student fight

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LORAIN — A disturbing scene in a school hallway near Cleveland captured by video shows students fighting inside a middle school building and a staff member was caught on camera, according to CBS affiliate WOIO in Cleveland.

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The Lorain School District says that staff member was not only doing nothing to stop the fight but it appeared to be actually encouraging it.

Footage from both student cell phones and district cameras from a fight at Southview Middle School on May 9 are being investigated and reviewed by the district safety and security team, according to Lorain School District.

“Lorain City Schools is entrusted to provide care, caring environments for our students, staff and all who enter our schools, said Dr. Jeff Graham, Lorain School Superintendent.

He tells WOIO that the school district is engaged in due process but is really struggling with what he has seen in these videos.

“I want to make it clear that anyone who violates our promise to take care of the children of Lorain is unwelcome here in our district,” Graham said.

On one video, a male teacher or staff member can be seen appearing to signal the start of the fight as two male students are in a fighting stance and then start throwing punches, WOIO reported.

Sondra Philo lives near the school in Lorain and tells WOIO’s Michelle Nicks that they could not believe what they saw.

“That should not be going on,” she said. “He (the staff member) shouldn’t be in charge of children.”

Lorain City Schools say they have a zero-tolerance policy for violence within their schools and any discipline that comes will be consistent with its board policy and past practice, according to WOIO.

The teachers and staff members have not been identified. The investigation is continuing.

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