A high school in a western suburb of Chicago erupted in an hours-long brawl between Hispanic and black students that spanned two floors of the school, hurt several, and put the school on lockdown for half the day. The fight ended in six arrests.
Streamwood High School in Streamwood, Illinois, a town about 25 minutes west of O’Hare Airport, implemented a “hold in place” order as the fight broke out between the two groups of students.
While it is not known exactly how many students jumped into the fight, six were arrested once administrators and police restored order to the school.
“It was at least 40 kids fighting, then it traveled all the way up to the 2nd floor. They fought inside the offices,” student Deshawn Cavin told Chicago’s CBS affiliate.
“The African-Americans and the Hispanics, they were just attacking each other today,” another student said.
Lucas Bryant, a senior at the school, told Breitbart that the first of a series of fights started as 4th period began just after 10 AM. Police were called by 11 AM.
As the brawl grew, with some students even fighting in the school’s administrative offices, police officers from the towns of Schaumburg, Hoffman Estates, Bartlett, and Hanover Park were called in to restore order. The Cook County Sheriff’s Police were also on the scene.
18-year old Lucas Bryant said that students in class during fourth period were held in there for two hours as officials and police attempted to stop the fights and collar the rampaging students. The rest of the day saw shortened classes, he said.
Reports are that tensions have been growing for some time, especially on social media platforms Twitter and Facebook.
On the day after the brawl, the school initiated a new safety regime that administrators said would be temporary. Parents were emailed on Wednesday afternoon and told that students would not be allowed to leave classrooms “for any reason” during class time.
The school’s library doors will also be locked during passtimes between classes, and students will be forbidden to use the library as a shortcut between hallways.
Further, students were told that there would be a crackdown on phones, iPads, and other electronic items in the school, and students will be forbidden from using them except in small, designated areas.
Students found in the halls after class times will be held in a special room until the next class bell. Finally, students found in the halls after class start times twice during the day will be sent home.
School officials say that these strict rules will be in place at least through the rest of the week.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com.
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