JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Students are in video clips punching one another and causing injuries so serious that paramedics have been called to First Coast High School.
The school has 2,200 students, and the Instagram page FIRSTCOASTHIGH_FIGHT has more than 1,500 followers.
Students told Action News the page is growing in popularity daily, and students often check it multiple times during the day to see if any new fights have been uploaded. The Instagram page shows 15-second video clips of fights on and off campus- and even asks students to tell them about future fights.
One student who brought the issue to Action News says it's a disturbing trend because the social media page allows students to organize and hide fights from school leaders. For his or her safety, Action News is not revealing the student's identity.
"They'll say, 'Oh, it's going down in second lunch. So everybody be ready for a fight second lunch. 'They know what's going on, but the school doesn't know what's going on," said the student.
When asked about the fights, the school system says it's not able to comment because of ongoing investigations.
The parents of the student who informed Action News of the fighting issue says the Instagram page is proof that fights on and off campus are becoming more popular and placing students in danger.
"I think it's ridiculous. Something needs to be done about it because I have children that attend that school, and I'm concerned about their safety."
When shown the video, local grandmother Esther Hudnell was nearly speechless.
"Oh, my God- And is it more than one person beating up on one kid? Or is it a gang of people fighting?" asked Hudnell.
The Duval County school district says any student caught videotaping a fight will get into trouble, saying:
"While our Code does not include specifics on social media sites, we do address the use of cameras, which is a Class 2 violation (Use of Cameras 2.34). Any student who uses an unauthorized camera or video to record campus activities will be disciplined, along with any students engaged in disruptive or inappropriate behavior."
First Coast junior Cody Marcum said he has mixed feelings about people getting into trouble for videotaping fights.
"Yes, they should be punished because it's bad for them to be seen on camera, but no because I want to see them (fight videos)," said Marcum.
Other students say the rule is not fair.
"I feel like no because it's not like they're fighting, they're just videotaping to show people; that's it. They're not hurting nobody," said sophomore Tyrell Jennings.
First Coast High School has 2,200 students and two full-time security guards. Multiple students say the school needs more protection.
"There are a couple security guards and they do their job well, but they can get distracted because I've noticed that some of the students will make a distraction. They'll pretend there is a fight over here, and they'll fight over there," said senior Sierra Walsh.
"Students need to be protected. Kids are crazy enough now to attack a security guard, so I don't know how they're going to handle that. It's a problem," said senior Reggan Northrup.
The school can take steps to get the Instagram page shut down, however students say if that happens, another fight page will simply replace it.
Read the Duval Public School System's Code of Conduct.
WJAX
