Manchester High School security officer suffers medial emergency after breaking up fight
MANCHESTER CT Oct 2 2021 — A security officer at Manchester High School suffered a medical emergency Thursday after breaking up a fight between two students in the cafeteria, school officials said.
The fight at the high school on Thursday had social media abuzz, with school officials clearing up rumors about what had happened.
Despite a slew of comments on the Manchester, CT Crime & Safety Watch Facebook page on Thursday afternoon where those commenting claiming the staff member who broke up the fight was stabbed during the incident, school officials said that did not happen. They said the staff member, later identified by school officials as a security guard, suffered a medical emergency but was not stabbed and that the medical emergency occurred after the fight between the students
Jim Farrell, communications director for the school system, took to the group’s Facebook page following the unfounded comments to clarify that no weapons were used during the fight and no one was stabbed.
Farrell said he could not discuss what type of medical emergency the security guard suffered but that he is doing fine today.
Superintendent of Schools Matthew Geary broke down the situation in an email to parents Thursday.
“Today at Manchester High School a secure-the-school situation took place shortly after noon when a staff member monitoring the cafeteria experienced a medical emergency after separating two students who were involved in an altercation during lunch. There was no knife or any weapon involved in this incident. Had that occurred, we would have included that information in the email we sent to MHS families soon after the incident took place.”
A secure-the-school protocol is not a lockdown since a lockdown usually includes hiding in place while with a secure-the-school protocol, classes can continue but the halls are cleared.
Manchester High School Principal Katelyn Miner also sent out a statement to the school community Thursday afternoon.
“Students were asked to stay in classrooms or other supervised spaces for about 30 minutes as we dealt with the situation and gave the staff member immediate care. It was especially important to minimize traffic within the building because this occurred during our lunch waves, when there is ordinarily a great deal of movement,” Miner said.
Geary said that some students have struggled with transitioning back to school at the beginning of the school year, which has led to more altercations than usual over the past few weeks. He said students involved in fights would be disciplined.
The superintendent said that preventing fights and altercations in schools is a priority for school officials. He did not say if there would be any ramped up security at the high school today following Thursday’s fight.
“When fights do occur, we issue consequences to those directly involved as well as those engaged in any behavior that led to fighting. Fighting often results in out-of-school suspensions for up to 10 days and can result in expulsion from school. In cases where weapons are involved, expulsion from school is mandatory,” Geary said.
Geary also touched on some of the inaccuracies of social media posts following Thursday’s incident.
“Unfortunately, there are adults spreading misinformation on social media and elsewhere about incidents that take place in our schools,” Geary wrote. “If you have a question, we encourage you to reach out directly to school staff. I also encourage parents and guardians to speak to your children about the importance of appropriate behavior both in school and when using electronic devices and social media.”
In addition to the discussion about the cafeteria fight at the high school, some people posted on the Manchester, CT Crime & Safety Watch Facebook page about another fight later in the day that they believed involved high school students at Cumberland Farms, located on East Middle Turnpike just down the street from the high school.
Police said they did respond to reports of an altercation at the convenience store, but the group dispersed and no arrests were made. Police could not confirm the people were students.
