BCC Fight

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The fights are always targeted, OP - they're between students who have an existing beef. Your child should feel safe attending this school.

This is what I received from the school. My kid was at school today but was not aware a fight occurred:



B-CC Serious Incident - 1/17/25


Dear Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School Community,

I am writing to inform you about a serious incident that occurred this morning and the actions taken to address it. During this incident, two students attacked a third student, resulting in physical injuries. A staff member quickly intervened, de-escalating the situation and brought the students involved to the office. The police were called, and both the police and the school began an investigation.

The school nurse assessed the victim, who was later taken to the hospital by their parents. Additionally, another student recorded the incident, and while the video has since been deleted, it did make its way to social media. I strongly urge everyone in our community to refrain from sharing or reposting such content, as it only amplifies harm and trauma.

I am always saddened when sharing information about incidents such as this. When students resort to physical violence rather than working to find productive ways to resolve conflicts, it impacts our overall school environment and can endanger other members of our school community. While we are continuing our work to address this incident in accordance with the MCPS Student Code of Conduct, I can confirm that all of the involved students will not be attending school in the coming days. In addition, we need to work together to ensure that our students find ways to resolve conflicts appropriately.

How You Can Support at Home:

Monitor and limit social media use. Many conflicts arise from social media posts, group chats, and hurtful messages.

Encourage your child to seek support from a counselor or administrator if they are struggling with peer interactions or experiencing bullying.

Reinforce the importance of respecting others, even in disagreement.

Talk to your child about avoiding confrontational situations and reporting concerns to an adult.


I am also concerned about the actions of students who may choose to film events like this. When these events are filmed, they encourage fights, glorifying violence and disrupting our learning environment. I want to be clear: any student who uses their phone to film or incite violence, as well as those who are directly involved in the fight, may face disciplinary consequences in line with the MCPS Student Code of Conduct.

At Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, we are committed to fostering a safe and welcoming environment for all students. It will take all of us working together to achieve this goal. Thank you for your continued support and partnership as we navigate this challenging situation. Please feel free to reach out to your child’s administrator if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Shelton Mooney, Ed.D.

Principal

This was a pretty good incident letter. MCPS should use it as a model.

You mean the Central office lawyer and PR Cram et al's letter sent via school Principal?? Is the following part of the letter a new addition to mcps incident letters: "can say the involved students will not be attending school in the coming days."? Everyone is wishing student in the hospital is okay. Well, yeah student probably isn't likely to come back in coming days based on description of incident in this letter. Plus it was already a day off Monday a holiday and possibly another storm is coming, so no one is coming to any school in the upcoming days Or does it mean the students who were involved won't be in school when school resumes next Tues or Wed.? And does "students will not be attending school in upcoming days" also include students who posted videos to social media? Were those involved in the fight only that school's students (thinking about that time when students from another school came to RM)?

[Anonymous]

Did some girls punch the Principal at one of these schools? Probably just a rumor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There have bene multiple issues at BCC. Having a mix of rich families and lower income don't blend well. Its always been that way there.

NP here - I do not think it is the income per se that matters, but rather the educational level and cultural background of the family that the kid is coming from.
signed
Single Mom of two kids here who does not earn a whole lot of money for DC standards, but is highly educated

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did some girls punch the Principal at one of these schools? Probably just a rumor.

Yes, last year. Both the BCC Principal and the security coordinator were hurt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The fights are always targeted, OP - they're between students who have an existing beef. Your child should feel safe attending this school.

This is what I received from the school. My kid was at school today but was not aware a fight occurred:



B-CC Serious Incident - 1/17/25


Dear Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School Community,

I am writing to inform you about a serious incident that occurred this morning and the actions taken to address it. During this incident, two students attacked a third student, resulting in physical injuries. A staff member quickly intervened, de-escalating the situation and brought the students involved to the office. The police were called, and both the police and the school began an investigation.

The school nurse assessed the victim, who was later taken to the hospital by their parents. Additionally, another student recorded the incident, and while the video has since been deleted, it did make its way to social media. I strongly urge everyone in our community to refrain from sharing or reposting such content, as it only amplifies harm and trauma.

I am always saddened when sharing information about incidents such as this. When students resort to physical violence rather than working to find productive ways to resolve conflicts, it impacts our overall school environment and can endanger other members of our school community. While we are continuing our work to address this incident in accordance with the MCPS Student Code of Conduct, I can confirm that all of the involved students will not be attending school in the coming days. In addition, we need to work together to ensure that our students find ways to resolve conflicts appropriately.

How You Can Support at Home:

Monitor and limit social media use. Many conflicts arise from social media posts, group chats, and hurtful messages.

Encourage your child to seek support from a counselor or administrator if they are struggling with peer interactions or experiencing bullying.

Reinforce the importance of respecting others, even in disagreement.

Talk to your child about avoiding confrontational situations and reporting concerns to an adult.


I am also concerned about the actions of students who may choose to film events like this. When these events are filmed, they encourage fights, glorifying violence and disrupting our learning environment. I want to be clear: any student who uses their phone to film or incite violence, as well as those who are directly involved in the fight, may face disciplinary consequences in line with the MCPS Student Code of Conduct.

At Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, we are committed to fostering a safe and welcoming environment for all students. It will take all of us working together to achieve this goal. Thank you for your continued support and partnership as we navigate this challenging situation. Please feel free to reach out to your child’s administrator if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Shelton Mooney, Ed.D.

Principal

This was a pretty good incident letter. MCPS should use it as a model.

Hi Shelton!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There have bene multiple issues at BCC. Having a mix of rich families and lower income don't blend well. Its always been that way there.

NP here - I do not think it is the income per se that matters, but rather the educational level and cultural background of the family that the kid is coming from.
signed
Single Mom of two kids here who does not earn a whole lot of money for DC standards, but is highly educated

Or that the kid has severe mental health problems, and has been bouncing around the system for years because there's no placement for him/her. Don't forget that the violent kids get a temporary placement in an MCPS-associated holding school (which is rife with its own violence issues, obviously), but then they get to enroll in a regular high school, and that high school is obligated to take them... until the student causes problems. After which another high school has to take them, and so on, until they graduate or age out.

I've said it before, but there have to be more or larger holding schools for violent students in MoCo, so they don't need to be let loose again to terrorize staff and kids in regular schools. And those holding schools must be safe so that kids can actually go there and try to learn something, without fear of getting into fights with crazies and without too much staff turnover.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The fights are always targeted, OP - they're between students who have an existing beef. Your child should feel safe attending this school.

This is what I received from the school. My kid was at school today but was not aware a fight occurred:



B-CC Serious Incident - 1/17/25


Dear Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School Community,

I am writing to inform you about a serious incident that occurred this morning and the actions taken to address it. During this incident, two students attacked a third student, resulting in physical injuries. A staff member quickly intervened, de-escalating the situation and brought the students involved to the office. The police were called, and both the police and the school began an investigation.

The school nurse assessed the victim, who was later taken to the hospital by their parents. Additionally, another student recorded the incident, and while the video has since been deleted, it did make its way to social media. I strongly urge everyone in our community to refrain from sharing or reposting such content, as it only amplifies harm and trauma.

I am always saddened when sharing information about incidents such as this. When students resort to physical violence rather than working to find productive ways to resolve conflicts, it impacts our overall school environment and can endanger other members of our school community. While we are continuing our work to address this incident in accordance with the MCPS Student Code of Conduct, I can confirm that all of the involved students will not be attending school in the coming days. In addition, we need to work together to ensure that our students find ways to resolve conflicts appropriately.

How You Can Support at Home:

Monitor and limit social media use. Many conflicts arise from social media posts, group chats, and hurtful messages.

Encourage your child to seek support from a counselor or administrator if they are struggling with peer interactions or experiencing bullying.

Reinforce the importance of respecting others, even in disagreement.

Talk to your child about avoiding confrontational situations and reporting concerns to an adult.


I am also concerned about the actions of students who may choose to film events like this. When these events are filmed, they encourage fights, glorifying violence and disrupting our learning environment. I want to be clear: any student who uses their phone to film or incite violence, as well as those who are directly involved in the fight, may face disciplinary consequences in line with the MCPS Student Code of Conduct.

At Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, we are committed to fostering a safe and welcoming environment for all students. It will take all of us working together to achieve this goal. Thank you for your continued support and partnership as we navigate this challenging situation. Please feel free to reach out to your child’s administrator if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Shelton Mooney, Ed.D.

Principal

This was a pretty good incident letter. MCPS should use it as a model.

Hi Shelton!

lol not Shelton by any stretch.

I was impressed that he included the bit about the students not returning to school because that was something MCPS refused to tell concerned parents in the past. Plus, the letter had lots of specifics and details which was not the norm for MCPS two years ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The fights are always targeted, OP - they're between students who have an existing beef. Your child should feel safe attending this school.

This is what I received from the school. My kid was at school today but was not aware a fight occurred:



B-CC Serious Incident - 1/17/25


Dear Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School Community,

I am writing to inform you about a serious incident that occurred this morning and the actions taken to address it. During this incident, two students attacked a third student, resulting in physical injuries. A staff member quickly intervened, de-escalating the situation and brought the students involved to the office. The police were called, and both the police and the school began an investigation.

The school nurse assessed the victim, who was later taken to the hospital by their parents. Additionally, another student recorded the incident, and while the video has since been deleted, it did make its way to social media. I strongly urge everyone in our community to refrain from sharing or reposting such content, as it only amplifies harm and trauma.

I am always saddened when sharing information about incidents such as this. When students resort to physical violence rather than working to find productive ways to resolve conflicts, it impacts our overall school environment and can endanger other members of our school community. While we are continuing our work to address this incident in accordance with the MCPS Student Code of Conduct, I can confirm that all of the involved students will not be attending school in the coming days. In addition, we need to work together to ensure that our students find ways to resolve conflicts appropriately.

How You Can Support at Home:

Monitor and limit social media use. Many conflicts arise from social media posts, group chats, and hurtful messages.

Encourage your child to seek support from a counselor or administrator if they are struggling with peer interactions or experiencing bullying.

Reinforce the importance of respecting others, even in disagreement.

Talk to your child about avoiding confrontational situations and reporting concerns to an adult.


I am also concerned about the actions of students who may choose to film events like this. When these events are filmed, they encourage fights, glorifying violence and disrupting our learning environment. I want to be clear: any student who uses their phone to film or incite violence, as well as those who are directly involved in the fight, may face disciplinary consequences in line with the MCPS Student Code of Conduct.

At Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, we are committed to fostering a safe and welcoming environment for all students. It will take all of us working together to achieve this goal. Thank you for your continued support and partnership as we navigate this challenging situation. Please feel free to reach out to your child’s administrator if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Shelton Mooney, Ed.D.

Principal

This was a pretty good incident letter. MCPS should use it as a model.

Hi Shelton!

lol not Shelton by any stretch.

I was impressed that he included the bit about the students not returning to school because that was something MCPS refused to tell concerned parents in the past. Plus, the letter had lots of specifics and details which was not the norm for MCPS two years ago.

BCC parent here. It's because we hauled him over the coals so many times over his poor communication style. We've had meeting after meeting and drummed it into him. He's learning. Slowly. Not the brightest bulb, but his heart is in the right place.

[Anonymous]

I don’t think there should be ounishment for filming an incident if the filmer immediately takes it to admin and does not otherwise share it (except with law enforcement or McPS officials investigating).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The fights are always targeted, OP - they're between students who have an existing beef. Your child should feel safe attending this school.

This is what I received from the school. My kid was at school today but was not aware a fight occurred:



B-CC Serious Incident - 1/17/25


Dear Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School Community,

I am writing to inform you about a serious incident that occurred this morning and the actions taken to address it. During this incident, two students attacked a third student, resulting in physical injuries. A staff member quickly intervened, de-escalating the situation and brought the students involved to the office. The police were called, and both the police and the school began an investigation.

The school nurse assessed the victim, who was later taken to the hospital by their parents. Additionally, another student recorded the incident, and while the video has since been deleted, it did make its way to social media. I strongly urge everyone in our community to refrain from sharing or reposting such content, as it only amplifies harm and trauma.

I am always saddened when sharing information about incidents such as this. When students resort to physical violence rather than working to find productive ways to resolve conflicts, it impacts our overall school environment and can endanger other members of our school community. While we are continuing our work to address this incident in accordance with the MCPS Student Code of Conduct, I can confirm that all of the involved students will not be attending school in the coming days. In addition, we need to work together to ensure that our students find ways to resolve conflicts appropriately.

How You Can Support at Home:

Monitor and limit social media use. Many conflicts arise from social media posts, group chats, and hurtful messages.

Encourage your child to seek support from a counselor or administrator if they are struggling with peer interactions or experiencing bullying.

Reinforce the importance of respecting others, even in disagreement.

Talk to your child about avoiding confrontational situations and reporting concerns to an adult.


I am also concerned about the actions of students who may choose to film events like this. When these events are filmed, they encourage fights, glorifying violence and disrupting our learning environment. I want to be clear: any student who uses their phone to film or incite violence, as well as those who are directly involved in the fight, may face disciplinary consequences in line with the MCPS Student Code of Conduct.

At Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, we are committed to fostering a safe and welcoming environment for all students. It will take all of us working together to achieve this goal. Thank you for your continued support and partnership as we navigate this challenging situation. Please feel free to reach out to your child’s administrator if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Shelton Mooney, Ed.D.

Principal

This was a pretty good incident letter. MCPS should use it as a model.

As propaganda it’s good but a lot of the letter is about filming fights. So filming the fight is going to be harshly punished and equivalent to bashing someone’s head with a chair. Without video evidence no statement is going to have to be written, it can all be swept under the table and kept hidden. If you harshly punish the students who fight then you wouldn’t have to threaten kids filming. But no one is really getting disciplined.

[Anonymous]

Kids filming the fights are part of the problem and should be punished. The videos circulate on social media and glorify the stupidty as well as encourage retribution, inside and outside of school. The fights in school don't need to be videoed in order to discipline the perpetrators because there are always tons of eyewitnesses including teachers and staff. So the only point of the videos is to go viral on social media and fuel the beefs. Any parent who justifies this is an idiot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm on my second tour as a BCC parent. I have no intel on the fight because my current student was out sick today.

To answer your other question, my kids have been totally safe although like all schools the bathroom situation is ridiculous. And this weird tradition of fights around sports matches, which hasn't impacted my kids who never went to the games anyway. But my current student hears a lot more disturbing stuff, like a classmate who left after he was attacked by a gang. I'm not sure this is unique to BCC; I've heard similar stories though from friends with kids in other schools, including the wealthier publics in VA.

Btw the response seems good so far. The principal sent out a note, which was detailed and clear but no doubt he will get attacked by parents for something. There's at least one listserv parent being an idiot (lawyer mommy complaining that no one should get punished for filming the assault because George Floyd. GMAFB.)

Good grief. The kid who recorded and posted the fight is a jerk who should be suspended. The mom who thinks this is related to George Floyd should be embarrassed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm on my second tour as a BCC parent. I have no intel on the fight because my current student was out sick today.

To answer your other question, my kids have been totally safe although like all schools the bathroom situation is ridiculous. And this weird tradition of fights around sports matches, which hasn't impacted my kids who never went to the games anyway. But my current student hears a lot more disturbing stuff, like a classmate who left after he was attacked by a gang. I'm not sure this is unique to BCC; I've heard similar stories though from friends with kids in other schools, including the wealthier publics in VA.

Btw the response seems good so far. The principal sent out a note, which was detailed and clear but no doubt he will get attacked by parents for something. There's at least one listserv parent being an idiot (lawyer mommy complaining that no one should get punished for filming the assault because George Floyd. GMAFB.)

Good grief. The kid who recorded and posted the fight is a jerk who should be suspended. The mom who thinks this is related to George Floyd should be embarrassed.

What else could the kid recording do though. Running to tell a teacher could have the kid jumped and trying to break it up can get them hurt.

[Anonymous]

In mcps they usually sweep violence on teachers under the rug then fire the teachers because stupid violent students attack teachers and mcps and mcea give no support.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The fights are always targeted, OP - they're between students who have an existing beef. Your child should feel safe attending this school.

This is what I received from the school. My kid was at school today but was not aware a fight occurred:



B-CC Serious Incident - 1/17/25


Dear Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School Community,

I am writing to inform you about a serious incident that occurred this morning and the actions taken to address it. During this incident, two students attacked a third student, resulting in physical injuries. A staff member quickly intervened, de-escalating the situation and brought the students involved to the office. The police were called, and both the police and the school began an investigation.

The school nurse assessed the victim, who was later taken to the hospital by their parents. Additionally, another student recorded the incident, and while the video has since been deleted, it did make its way to social media. I strongly urge everyone in our community to refrain from sharing or reposting such content, as it only amplifies harm and trauma.

I am always saddened when sharing information about incidents such as this. When students resort to physical violence rather than working to find productive ways to resolve conflicts, it impacts our overall school environment and can endanger other members of our school community. While we are continuing our work to address this incident in accordance with the MCPS Student Code of Conduct, I can confirm that all of the involved students will not be attending school in the coming days. In addition, we need to work together to ensure that our students find ways to resolve conflicts appropriately.

How You Can Support at Home:

Monitor and limit social media use. Many conflicts arise from social media posts, group chats, and hurtful messages.

Encourage your child to seek support from a counselor or administrator if they are struggling with peer interactions or experiencing bullying.

Reinforce the importance of respecting others, even in disagreement.

Talk to your child about avoiding confrontational situations and reporting concerns to an adult.


I am also concerned about the actions of students who may choose to film events like this. When these events are filmed, they encourage fights, glorifying violence and disrupting our learning environment. I want to be clear: any student who uses their phone to film or incite violence, as well as those who are directly involved in the fight, may face disciplinary consequences in line with the MCPS Student Code of Conduct.

At Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, we are committed to fostering a safe and welcoming environment for all students. It will take all of us working together to achieve this goal. Thank you for your continued support and partnership as we navigate this challenging situation. Please feel free to reach out to your child’s administrator if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Shelton Mooney, Ed.D.

Principal

This was a pretty good incident letter. MCPS should use it as a model.

Hi Shelton!

lol not Shelton by any stretch.

I was impressed that he included the bit about the students not returning to school because that was something MCPS refused to tell concerned parents in the past. Plus, the letter had lots of specifics and details which was not the norm for MCPS two years ago.

BCC parent here. It's because we hauled him over the coals so many times over his poor communication style. We've had meeting after meeting and drummed it into him. He's learning. Slowly. Not the brightest bulb, but his heart is in the right place.

I’m also a BCC parent and understand the frustrations with Dr. Mooney - but this is unbelievably rude. Please think how you’d feel if people were online talking about how you were “not the brightest bulb.”