Video surfaces after pepper spray used to break up Tift County High School fight
TIFTON, Ga. (WALB) - Both parents and school administrators are responding to the use of pepper spray inside Tift County High School.
Several students had to be treated after the pepper spray was used to break up this school fight on Wednesday.
Tift County School administrators tell WALB that they are responsible for not only keeping students safe but also protecting their administrators and in this particular incident, a teacher was actually caught in the middle trying to break the fight up.
A video shows a fight that started between five students. Administrators say to gain control of the situation, they had to use pepper spray when their initial efforts failed.
“They are first going to maybe ask the group to get back to move back and if they don’t and proceed to encroach on the space, then they can use additional measures,” said Dana Spurlin, chief of communications and community engagement.
Those measures came in the form of pepper spray; some parents believe that was excessive.
“When the pepper spray became involved, I didn’t like that because it was other kids around that weren’t involved in the fight but they got sprayed in the face because of the pepper spray,” a parent told WALB.
The school resource officers are all certified and officials say they don’t believe the situation could’ve been handled any differently.
”There were no students that were directly pepper sprayed,” Spurlin said. “They may have received some of the residual effects of what was sprayed but again the group was asked to move back. When they do not move back and our officers need to gain control of the situation absolutely they are going to that by the means that are necessary.“
Some parents believe the school needs other options when situations like this occur.
“Mash those panic buttons,” the parent said. “I’m pretty sure the police, fire department, ambulance and everybody else would’ve been on their way. They just need more security because it’s more kids.”
Currently, the school could not disclose how the students involved in the fight would be disciplined but the teacher trying to break up the fight is doing just fine.
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