Two altercations inside the BPS Henderson Upper School on Croftland Avenue in Dorchester on Wednesday (May 28) prompted a large police response and left two employees injured, according to a police report reviewed by the Reporter.
At least eight Boston Police officers responded to the grade 3-12 school around 1 p.m. on Wednesday for a call for a “fight at the Henderson Upper School.”
A video of the incident— forwarded to police and viewed by the Reporter—depicts a chaotic scene in a school hallway with a large group of students observing the fight and some recording it. The video shows multiple students who appear to be throwing punches at one another. One girl is seen with her shirt ripped off. Teachers and staff are also seen in harm’s way trying to keep order.
An email sent home to parents from assistant Principal Clare Franco noted “a physical altercation” between two ninth graders in the 8th grade hallway during a class transition around noon.
In response to a Reporter request for comment, a spokesperson for BPS said: “The safety of our students and staff is always our highest priority. Yesterday, a verbal and physical altercation occurred between a group of students during a class transition. BPS Safety Services and Boston Police responded to the school. This incident is under investigation and will be fully addressed consistent with BPS policies.”
According to a BPD account, one Henderson staff member sustained an injury to her elbow as she attempted to stop the fighting. Another staff member suffered minor injuries that were attended to by a school nurse.
Officers informed school personnel they would be writing a report and planned to have a marked unit outside the school at the 2:30 p.m. dismissal.
A second altercation also reportedly took place in the school at dismissal time. The email to parents described it as a verbal confrontation between four students, two freshmen, a junior, and a senior.
A video of that incident provided to The Reporter shows another chaotic scene in the hallway by the doors – with several students appearing to throw punches at each other’s heads and teachers and staff once again in harm’s way also being hit repeatedly in the affray.
Dozens of students are also shown encouraging the fight and recording it.
“Thank you to the school staff who intervened,” read the email to parents. “We are sorry that this happened. We will follow the BPS policies in accordance with the Code of Conduct to hold students accountable.”
City Councillor John FitzGerald said he has concerns about safety at both the Henderson Upper School and the Murphy K-8 School on Worrell Street that have been raised to him by those in the community.
“As a fellow BPS parent, my priority is the safety of our children in our schools,” said FitzGerald. “I sat with the Superintendent this morning (Thursday, May 29) to discuss several issues that have arisen in the District, including yesterday’s disruption. In addition, I am requesting the safety and conduct protocols for all District 3 schools through my powers as a Councillor.
“I want all the parents to understand what the protocols are to be followed, what to expect when incidents occur at their child’s school, what some of the limitations can be, and to ensure each school is following them,” said FitzGerald.
