Student attacked in high school bathroom was targeted for money won in fight club, sheriff says

The Charles County Sheriff’s Office charged two high school students in connection with a fight and robbery inside a school bathroom after the victim won money in a fight club.

The attack took place during school hours Tuesday at Maurice J. McDonough High School in Pomfret, Maryland.

According to the sheriff’s office, the student was targeted for money, but when his attackers realized he didn’t have any cash, they took his cellphone instead.

It’s the latest example of local students as young as 10 years old engaging in fights and posting video of fights to social media.

The sheriff’s office is also looking into video that appears to show a student being punched and kicked in the bathroom at North Point High School in Waldorf in January.

Earlier this week, the sheriff’s office launched an investigation into a separate fighting incident after video surfaced showing two girls fighting at Theodore G. Davis Middle School in Waldorf. They are seen fighting in a classroom while a staff member and students watched.

And earlier this month, News4 reported on a video that shows students fighting inside Cora Rice Elementary School in Landover. A lawsuit alleges a teacher, who later resigned, encouraged the fight.

“I also think that the board of education, [Superintendent] Dr. [Maria] Navarro and her staff need to stand up and do something about it rather than just not saying anything at all,” said Deron Tross, who runs the Facebook group Charles County Matters.

The school system sent News4 a statement saying, in part, “Students need to understand that when they resort to assaulting or fighting with others, whether they agree to this behavior or not, they are posing a safety risk to all students.”

The statement says any student engaging in fighting will be disciplined. It encouraged parents to speak to their children about appropriate behavior in school.

“We need to consciously have this conversation proactively as educators and say what if and be prepared so that you know ahead of time and aren’t flying by the seat of your pants when these things erupt,” National School Safety and Security Services President Ken Trump said.

Security experts say there’s been an increase in school fights since the pandemic and fight clubs and so-called playfighting is fueled by social media to get views and likes. They say school staff need to be trained to prevent and intervene in conflicts.

“How do you make sure that it doesn’t jump up in your school, and that is very time consuming, labor intensive and a skill that doesn’t come with your degree in education when you sign up to be a teacher or a principal,” Trump said.

The key is for staff to be aware, supervise children throughout the day and learn to deescalate before disagreements become violent, he said.