Schools
Riverwood Fight Breaks Out, Pepper Spray Used, Police Called
A Sandy Springs student was involved in a cafeteria fight and pepper sprayed by a school resource officer, when he broke loose from a teacher who was trying to restrain him. The pepper spray affected nearby students.
A Thursday incident at Riverwood International Charter High School had ended by the time Sandy Springs Police arrived, said Capt. Steve Rose.
A student was involved in a fight in the cafeteria and pepper sprayed by a school resource officer, when he broke loose from a teacher who was trying to restrain him. The pepper spray affected nearby students.
Below: Letter to parents on the incident
"There were a few students who complained of eye irritation," said Susan Hale, a Fulton County Schools spokesperson. "Those students have been checked out by the clinic, and there are no longstanding effects."
Hale said disciplinary action will be take against the students involved in the fight, but did not yet know if charges would be filed by school police.
The trouble follows last Friday's incident where two suspicious young men were discovered walking school hallways. They were with two other men waiting in a car outside. Three of the four men were charged and transported to Fulton County Jail.
"In light of what happened last Friday, we wanted to make sure parents were completely in the loop of what happened," Hale said.
The following is a letter sent to parents, Thursday afternoon, from principal Robert Shaw.Dear Riverwood Parents,
I want to make you aware of a situation occurring late this morning. I know news spreads fast and rumors can circulate more quickly than facts, so I want to share details of what happened.
During fourth lunch (around 11:40 a.m.), two Riverwood students got into a fist-fight in the cafeteria. Officer Parker and several members of our administrative team were in the cafeteria when it occurred and immediately tried to separate the students. Also, a nearby teacher restrained one of the students and pulled him away from the fight. This student pulled loose from the teacher and jumped back into the fray and refused to follow directions to stop fighting. As a result, Officer Parker used his pepper spray to subdue the aggressive student. Some students that were in the cafeteria went to the clinic because of the residual effects of the pepper spray. There was an ambulance on campus, but no students were transported.
Additionally, the sister of one of the fighting students happened to be at the Attendance window near the front office when this occurred. She was meeting her boyfriend (a former Riverwood student) who was bringing her a camera. When the girl heard her brother was in the fight, she ran to the cafeteria and the boyfriend followed. The boyfriend was not involved in the altercation, but because he was not authorized to be beyond the front office, he was charged for being an unauthorized visitor of the school.
I am very sorry that this happened. In any high school, fights sometimes occur between students, despite our best efforts to prevent them. As all of you know, my email address is shawr@fultonschools.org so if you have any questions or concerns, or if you hear of any rumors that you would like checked, please feel free to contact me.
Robert Shaw, Ed.D
Principal
See also:
Update: Riverwood Intruders Charged, Taken to Fulton County Jail
Riverwood Parents Receive Letter on Suspicious Men Roaming School Hallways
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