Parents in Somerville, Massachusetts, are sounding the alarm about school safety.
Fights and heightened hostility at Somerville High School led to a 35-minute "secure-and-hold" Thursday morning.
"I don't want to send my kid to school. And I'm looking at alternative options. Do we do remote schooling? Where do we turn? What do we do?" parent Tony Bottiglio said Friday. "It's awful to hear your child sobbing and see her trembling and afraid to go to school."
The secure-and-hold was initiated by the principal to keep students in classrooms so staff and administrators could calm the conflicts and clear the hallways without additional traffic flowing between class periods.
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"I've heard from parents on social media that they say their kids feel the same way, and that this isn't just from yesterday, this is an ongoing thing," Bottiglio said. "There's a serious violence problem at the high school."
School officials say no weapons were involved in Thursday's incident.
I want the administration to do the right thing. We need police at the school," Bottiglio said.
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Police in Somerville have not commented on the issue. Somerville High School says appropriate discipline and action will be taken for those who were involved.
