School officials in Weymouth, Massachusetts, are warning parents of middle schoolers about recent violence.
In an email to parents of students at Maria Weston Chapman Middle School, officials said there have been issues with fighting, disruptive behavior and hurtful language in recent weeks.
The email condemns the "inappropriate, dangerous and disruptive behavior at school."
The Weymouth School Committee also discussed the problems at a recent meeting.
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One parent of an eighth-grader said at the meeting that it's becoming more difficult checking in with her child after school.
"'What great thing happened today at school?' 'I didn't get jumped or pushed into a fight,'" she recalled to the school committee. "That opened my eyes."
"This is more than just a school issue. It is a greater community issue," Principal Matthew Meehan said at the meeting. "They're automatically going to violence and the bystanders are automatically not saying anything."
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Parent Dana Duran says she is anxious knowing that her daughter, who is in the eighth grade, is seeing the fighting.
"I hope that they're able to help them more so than just punish," Duran said.
Parents and school leaders say in some cases, student bystanders are recording and posting the behavior to social media. Laci Foster, another Weymouth mom, says she's seen the videos of students using violence to hash out issues.
"They get into a group and they fight each other," she said. "Sometimes it's one-on-one and sometimes it's not."
The school says it is working on solutions, including increasing parent input, adding student resources, enhancing security and forming a program so kids can weigh in.
Most parents think the root of the issue has many layers, including social media, cellphone use and the COVID-19 pandemic. Many say they think the answer is going to be as complex as the problem.
"It's all the children, whether you're standing there recording or encouraging or are actually in the middle of the fight, it's all of them," Foster said.
School officials say students who instigate, encourage or document violent acts will be disciplined.
NBC10 Boston reached out to Superintendent Robert Wargo for comment, but did not hear back.
