A “verbal disagreement” led to a “physical altercation” Monday between eighth grade students and a security assistant at Odessa Shannon Middle School in Silver Spring, according to letters sent by the principal to the school community.
“This is not who we are at Odessa Shannon Middle School and we will be reinforcing expected behaviors within our school community as we move forward,” Principal Natasha Booms said in a Tuesday letter. “To be clear, any students or staff who chose not to act appropriately may face consequences.”
Booms sent out a letter Monday to families of eighth graders that said a “situation arose” involving a group of students and a security assistant during eighth grade lunch dismissal, which escalated into a “verbal disagreement and brief physical altercation.”
The Monday letter also noted the school called for staff and students to shelter in place to “to limit hallway movement and support a calm resolution.” The shelter-in-place following the incident lasted roughly four minutes, according to Booms.
Booms sent another letter Tuesday to the entire school community in which she apologized for not reaching out to the entire school community and said her immediate focus was on the students directly impacted by Monday’s incident.
Tuesday’s letter provided more detail about the incident, saying students didn’t follow the guidance of “adults” during lunch dismissal, which led to a “heated exchange of words” and a “physical altercation.”
“This behavior was unacceptable and resulted in two students being struck and also minor injuries for two staff members who were involved,” Booms said in the Tuesday letter. “The students were assessed by the school nurse and released and the two staff members sought medical attention on their own.”
MCPS spokesperson Liliana Lopez told Bethesda Today Wednesday that one staff member involved has been placed on leave.
It’s unclear from the letters what exactly happened during the incident, but a video provided to Bethesda Today appears to capture at least part of the altercation. In the video, students in a large group near a doorway are yelling and appear to push a group of three staff members, who appear to push back and try to control the students. As the altercation continues and students continue to yell and push, a staff member swings his fists at the students, appearing to hit one.
Booms acknowledged the existence of the video in Tuesday’s letter and urged families to discuss with their children about the harm that sharing videos of such incidents can cause.
“Disseminating footage of an incident like this adds to the trauma and hinders the efforts to resolve conflicts and restore a sense of safety in our schools,” Booms said.
According to Booms’ Tuesday letter, the principal met with several eighth grade families in person and over the phone to discuss concerns and their students’ well-being. Additionally, a town hall meeting was held Tuesday with eighth graders to “reassure them that their safety remains our top priority.” The school also arranged to have 10 social workers available on campus Tuesday for students to discuss the incident.
