A 17-year-old Florida high school student faces felony charges after she allegedly got into a fight with a school staff member during her lunch period.
The incident, which occurred Sept. 18 at Lincoln High School in Tallahassee, involved a hall monitor who has since been placed on administrative leave.
Leon County School District officials stated that the brawl began when the unidentified female student attacked a hall monitor and grabbed her phone.
The teen was charged with attempted robbery by sudden snatching and battery of a school official.
The district is continuing to investigate, while video footage of the fight has since gone viral on social media, drawing further attention to the case.
The fight erupted after the hall monitor attempted to discipline the suspect and another girl by taking their photo to send to the basketball coach about their disrespectful behavior.
When the suspect saw the monitor taking the picture, she tried to grab the phone, sparking the confrontation, according to arrest reports.
There were no racial implications behind the altercation, despite the hall monitor being white and the student being Black.
The video captures a large crowd of students in the cafeteria surrounding the adult woman and a Black student as they grappled on the tile floor.
Despite her small stature, the woman appears to kick the female student as she struggles to get away.
Several students in the crowd broke up the fight briefly by pulling both combatants apart.
Later in the video, the student walked away while the staff member stood up and went after the student again, grabbing the girl’s hair, which prompted the student to start throwing blows.
After the fight broke up again, the staff member appeared disoriented while telling another student that she needed to find her phone, according to the video.
The allegedly snatching that took place was not captured on film.
School officials confirmed that the frantic minute-long video shows only the end of the fight, leaving it unclear how long the fight lasted. The student was arrested afterward and taken to the Leon Juvenile Detention Center.
“We are still reviewing the video, and it is still very much an open investigation,” said LCSO communications director Shonda Knight, according to the Tallahassee Democrat.
In addition to the criminal charges, the teen faces potential disciplinary action from the school district, which could include expulsion under the student code of conduct.
News of the fight circulated after Lincoln High School Assistant Principal Jennifer Tibbitts emailed parents the same day of the fight.
“Today at lunch there was an incident involving a student and staff member. Other school staff and our school resource officers responded immediately. This incident is being investigated by Leon County Sheriff’s office and will be handled accordingly,” the message said.
Before the fight, Leon County Sheriff Walt McNeil, Schools Superintendent Rocky Hanna, and school board members announced a tour of district high schools to address safety and security concerns with students, with a visit to Lincoln High scheduled for next Friday.
It remains unclear whether the hall monitor will face any charges related to the altercation. School officials declined to comment on this but suggested they were “looking into possible other players.”
The video of the incident went viral on Facebook, where it was viewed more than 31,000 times.
“Kids in schools around the country are out of control! Teachers aren’t without their faults as well. I’m a father of two teenage boys and the things we learn about the world of public schools is atrocious,” one viewer wrote.
“It’s not a learning environment it’s a glorified daycare with many factors as causes. Kids don’t want to learn, grow. Most are too caught up in social media.”
