A month-long Action News Jax investigation shows fights like the one captured on camera between students at Oceanway Middle School aren't a rare occurrence.
On March 4, we showed you video from the north Jacksonville school and told you how it launched heightened security on campus because of reported racial tensions.
Action News Jax’s Cole Heath spent weeks requesting information from Duval County Public Schools about other fights on that campus.
In that information, we’ve learned there were almost two dozen fights at the school this month alone. We've spoken to several parents over the last couple of weeks. Some say they are not bothered by those incidents while others said they are sick of the violence and even want to pull their kids out of the school.
A student's cellphone video captured the moment school district officials say a racial slur ignited the brawl caught on camera in Oceanway Middle School’s cafeteria on March 3.
Since then we've learned that isn't the only fight at this school in March.
“I know there was almost one today,” one student said.
“I don’t like it, I’m not going to send my kid here next year,” said mom Amy Guittar.
Guittar’s son Sebastian is a 7th grader at Oceanway.
“I have witnessed a lot of them, kids jumped, hurt, and a lot of brutal stuff,” said Sebastian.
Guittar joins several other parents we've spoken with who are seriously considering pulling their kids out of Oceanway because of the violence.
“I’m scared my kid’s going to get jumped,” Guittar said.
“I’m ready to move them and get them out of this school,” Oceanway dad Scott Wallace said.
But others said they're not leaving.
“My sister loves this school. It doesn’t really affect her,” another woman said.
We’ve found numbers some parents say back up their concerns on campus. Duval County Public Schools officials said between February 29 through the week of the fight on March 3, there were 11 fights on campus.
Then March 7 through Thursday, ten more fights, with students receiving 20 referrals related to fighting this month total.
Numbers Wallace said have him looking for other schools.
“They’re 13 and 12-year-old kids, they should be thinking about homework, not having to come to school and get beat up,” Wallace said.
School officials say 78 students have left Oceanway since the beginning of the year but can’t say if they left specifically because of security concerns.
Right now, district leaders are holding conflict resolution events and learning workshops for students and teachers.
Next Wednesday, the Duval School Board will meet to discuss adding more security cameras at Oceanway Middle School and other schools.
Cox Media Group
