Just after 2:20, on Wednesday afternoon, Delaware State Police and New Castle County police responded to a large fight at Dickinson High School that was reportedly out of control when officers arrived.
According to sources familiar with the incident, several teachers were reportedly struck or thrown to the ground during the fight that involved 20 to 30 students. Reports indicate that the fight started outside during dismissal before moving inside the school. Police reportedly swarmed the school and detained several students at the scene. One teacher was reported to have suffered a serious injury as a result of the fight.
Sadly, this incident is just the latest in a series of violent incidents at Delaware schools in recent months. Almost daily, videos surface on social media showing fights in schools. Several teachers have been injured in recent months due to these incidents. In addition, there have been young people shot outside of a high school sporting event and two guns have been discharged inside schools.
This trend is not unique to Delaware, however. Across the United States, there have been numerous reports of violence in schools in recent years. This has led to increased concern among parents, educators, and policymakers about the safety of students and staff in schools.
In 2020, Red Clay School Board member Jose Matthews, who is up for reelection on Tuesday, introduced a proposal that would have removed school resource officers (SRO) from the district’s schools. Rather than leaving the schools unguarded the board voted 5 to 2 in favor of keeping the SROs.
The school issued a statement regarding the incident, however, it did not address the reported injuries:
Good afternoon Dickinson Parents & Guardians,
This message is to inform you that multiple students were involved in a fight at the school during dismissal today. Police officers responded to the school immediately to assist and restore order.
The Red Clay Consolidated School District (Red Clay) is committed to providing our students and staff with a safe and secure environment. The student(s) involved will be subject to disciplinary action according to Red Clay’s Code of Conduct and further action by the Police Department if necessary.
School administrators, teachers, and staff work together to promote and maintain school-wide safety. Our school district also works closely with local public safety officials. We encourage parents and guardians to talk to students about the importance of sharing information with adults and to remind students to report any incidences involving student safety on or off campus to a school administrator immediately. Please feel free to share any additional information you may have about this incident with me.
District officials have deemed the students and school campus to be safe. However, we want to ensure that you are receiving the correct information. Classes will resume as normal tomorrow, May 4th.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the school in the morning
Thank you and have a great evening
Today’s incident at Dickinson High School is a troubling reminder of the prevalence of violence in schools today.