The Pulaski County Special School District continues investigating a teacher after a parent said he used excessive force
breaking up a fight. But what role does school security play in situations like this? Those with the district say they have security at every middle and high school but teachers have some responsibility too.
Cell phone video showing two girls getting into a scuffle in the hall at Fuller Middle School raised some questions about who is responsible for security in schools. Some say
the teacher used too much force.
Those with the school district say moments after the fight security arrived but that teachers do have an obligation to protect the students. "Basically using the least amount of force possible to take control of the situation," Superintendent Rob McGill said. McGill added this is the first incident like this at Fuller Middle School all year.
There are more than 37 security guards at all middle and high schools, even one in an elementary school. PCSSD also has school resource officers in Maumelle, Sherwood, and Jacksonville, provided by police.
Safety and security coordinator Gerald Tatum says there's no marked increase in school fights for boys but since he started 13 years ago, more girls are fighting. "A lot of it comes to school because you said something on Facebook or 'you were talking to my boyfriend,' we have a lot of boyfriend fights," Tatum said
He says officers are a deterrent to acting up but students also need to alert adults when a fight is about to start. But when it comes down to it school personnel have a job to do. "One child can get hurt pretty bad if we don't get there and some adult doesn't try to step in," Tatum said.
The number of fights in districts in Pulaski County is going down. There were just under 200 student assaults in the 07-08 school year, the year before it was nearly 600 and more than 900 the year before that.
