Two students injured in fight at Daniell Middle School
Jan. 17—Two students were injured during lunch Tuesday in a fight at Daniell Middle School, the Cobb County School District said.
"Earlier today, one of our students made a terrible choice during an altercation with another student. The student attacked another student and caused injury to both the victim and themselves," Principal Amy Stump said in a letter to Daniell families.
Emergency services responded to the scene and students and staff are now safe, per the letter.
"This situation is being handled according to state law and district policies, including discipline and criminal charges. Our highest priority is the safety and well-being of our students and staff, and incidents like this remind us that we must be constantly vigilant," Stump added.
The nature of the students' injuries was not disclosed, and district spokesperson Erich Rauch said he could not provide further details at this time.
Outside of Daniell Tuesday afternoon, Hylan Taylor told reporters he came to pick up his daughter early from school because she had witnessed the altercation.
"I knew that she was really upset by it," Taylor said. "She was like, 'I don't want to be here anymore. Somebody please come get me, I don't want to be here anymore.' She repeated that several times."
David Chastain, the Cobb school board member who represents Daniell, declined to go into specifics about the incident when reached by the MDJ.
"Other than the disruption — I think that that took place in the cafeteria — once kids were in their classrooms, school went on as normal," Chastain said. "It's very sad that kids have a hard time getting along...Unfortunately, middle (and) high school kids are just a breed apart when it comes to their emotions and the way they handle things."
Cobb school board member Randy Scamihorn said the altercation at Daniell is not representative of the broader issues in CCSD.
"I would strongly disagree with anyone that we have a persistent problem with behavior," Scamihorn said. "We have approximately 108,000 students, from adolescents to young adults. That's bigger than most towns in this country. Rarely, but occasionally, we're going to have an incident, whether it's a theft or skipping class."
Scamihorn said the school district's police force is "thoroughly competent and outstanding," and praised the district's teachers and counselors for their work to address students' problems and needs.
"I'm very reassured, generally speaking, that our students are safe, they're getting an outstanding education, and we'll continue improving where we can," Scamihorn said.
