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Teachers injured in fight at Lorain High school, violence continues

Posted at 7:22 PM, Oct 18, 2018
and last updated 2018-10-18 19:22:32-04

A teacher was injured in a fight Wednesday at a Lorain school. 

According to school administrators, a fight broke out after a fire drill.

"On October 17, 2018 as students and staff filed back into Lorain High School (LHS) after a successful fire drill a physical altercation occurred between three LHS students on the second floor of the building.  In the course of breaking up the altercation, three members of the LHS teaching staff were injured.  All three staff members were assessed by the school nurse and did not request additional medical attention at that time.  The three students were all suspended and have been recommended for expulsion. The Lorain City School district will not tolerate behavior that is in such opposition of our core values, especially during important events such as safety drills. We commend the leadership and staff for handling the situation and ensuring the safety of all," school administrators said in a statement.  

The statement didn't reference other fights and incidents, caught on camera, brought up by concerned parents and staff. 

News 5 brought concerns about the fight Wednesday and others captured to School Board President Tony Dimacchia.

"This isn't all of our kids," he said, "We've always had a few fights here and there, but our kids didn't, overnight, become this."

"This is a result of what has been created by the state of Ohio and the CEO," Dimacchia told News 5. 
 
He said he hears from school staff and parents who are concerned about fighting and issues constantly; "Our our parents are fed up with it. Our parents fear what their kids may go through. They fear that if they come out and talk about it, their kid will be bullied in school. Parents are pulling their kids out of our district."
 
Dimacchia said members of the board and Lorain's Mayor Chase Ritenauer have tried to be proactive. He said they are coming together now to address the recent issues as well as concerns brought up by parents and staff.
Lorain Police have met with both the school board and the administrators of schools here, and made public comments in meetings, but told News 5 in our last report, they aren't doing interviews on this. They didn't respond to a request for comment Thursday.