Fight btw BCC & WJ students after game @ 8:30 Friday night

[Anonymous]

PLEASE - Focus on punishing any perpetrators- not the teams, schools and families who enjoyed the game and were peaceful. BCC, WJ, their football teams and their students are not responsible for the bad actions of a few individuals. Don't give "bad apples" power to destroy everyone else's enjoyable football season. Punish those actually involved. That's actually holding kids accountable for their own actions which is what we should be teaching.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can't imagine raising a kid who would repeatedly kick someone in the head who's on the ground.

He needs to be arrested for assault and get the full whack of consequences.

Not a chance that will happen in Montgomery Co. Especially as a minor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was at the game and security seemed very good. Student fans were in dedicated sections at opposite ends of the stadium. WJ student fans left just before game ended, and BCC student fans asked to stay after for 15 mins and performance of (terrific) student dance group. Plenty of security on site.

I disagree and was also at the game. I left slightly early along with many kids. It was pretty clear that MoCo needed much more police presence on the street by that point.

Not enough police anymore to provide necessary security.

My child was at the game and hanging out in Bethesdalast night. She said there were tons of police officers everywhere around Bethesda Row. The problem here isn’t a lack of officers but perhaps too many on the Bethesda Row side and not enough by the metro, where there have been fights before.

Also what time was this? The fight was very close to the end of the game. So police were on the scene after the fight and in a different location.

Students always leave games in the 3rd or 4th quarter. This is long running

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not about football. Not about night game time. Not about police. Not about principals or coaches. Not BCC WJ rivalry. Systemic breakdown post-pandemic. Adolescents in crisis across the country. And, MOCO was the last district to open school doors during covid. Bigger issue, going to get bigger.

Agree with all of this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Every WJ/BCC basketball and football game. Just means they'll impose more restrictions going forward.

It's just another strong indicator of MCPS decline when students at these schools act like gang members.

It’s likely because they ARE gang members.

Quite possibly.

Gang members don't give a darn about school rivalries

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not about football. Not about night game time. Not about police. Not about principals or coaches. Not BCC WJ rivalry. Systemic breakdown post-pandemic. Adolescents in crisis across the country. And, MOCO was the last district to open school doors during covid. Bigger issue, going to get bigger.

I think this is true, and it’s so sad and so daunting.

Here’s the thing, the closures and isolation was hard on everyone. everyone. i saw the toll it took on my own kids. i’m also a teacher. my kid’s mental health is on me, their parent. it’s not on the school although i was grateful for the resources when i asked for them.
a couple of posters have said it previously in this thread but no one wants to talk about it. these kids are angry and lacking guidance. It is their parent’s responsibility to guide them, it was during the school closures too but so many parents checked out and haven’t checked back in.
There are a lot of issues in Mcps, I have worked here for 30 years, I’m well aware of them. However, the half assed parenting that I’ve witnessed as an mcps parent and teacher are by far the most damaging to the kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Messaging from principals of the two schools in an email today is that there were large groups of students from both schools fighting. This is NOT the case. Several WJ students who were either alone or in a small groups were brutally jumped/attacked by larger mobs of others. They may or may not have all been BCC students as the aggressors.

My children were at the game (WJ students) and both shared that the game itself felt safe and well-managed. Attendance was limited AND the game started earlier than other games during the season.

There is a strong possibility that many of the aggressors in Bethesda were not even at the game and just waited for it to get out.

Let’s wait for more facts before jumping to conclusions. I doubt this is all on BCC students while WJ kids are all perfectly behaved angels. There was an issue last year at a WJ-RM game if I recall correctly

[Anonymous]

Again, WJ students were being jumped and beaten, stomped on...etc. It's now come out (video proof) that the same group of thugs attacking the WJ student at the metro also then attacked a student wearing a BCC shirt in the same area. Based on other reports of students in the area, these large groups attacking were likely not at the game and/or only BCC students (if at all).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Messaging from principals of the two schools in an email today is that there were large groups of students from both schools fighting. This is NOT the case. Several WJ students who were either alone or in a small groups were brutally jumped/attacked by larger mobs of others. They may or may not have all been BCC students as the aggressors.

My children were at the game (WJ students) and both shared that the game itself felt safe and well-managed. Attendance was limited AND the game started earlier than other games during the season.

There is a strong possibility that many of the aggressors in Bethesda were not even at the game and just waited for it to get out.

Let’s wait for more facts before jumping to conclusions. I doubt this is all on BCC students while WJ kids are all perfectly behaved angels. There was an issue last year at a WJ-RM game if I recall correctly

The facts are in the multiple videos on social media.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is not the result of the pandemic or the removal of SROs -- at least those factors cannot bear the entire blame.
Maybe it's time these schools stop playing each other.

This was the note sent in January 2020:

Dear Walter Johnson High School and Bethesda-Chevy Chase Community Members,

We wanted to alert our communities that after the basketball game at B-CC there were several altercations among the students. Both schools had administrators, security and police present. Despite these measures, altercations still broke out on and off campus, eventually resulting in three arrests. We believe these incidents were a continuation of vandalism on both campuses earlier in the week. Apparently, B-CC students spray painted the WJ shed that the seniors paint as a tradition going into their senior year. In retaliation, apparently WJ students spray painted the brick building and the school’s electronic sign at B-CC. These acts resulted in thousands of dollars of damage to the schools and a full police investigation. These acts are all completely unacceptable and both schools will work collaboratively to determine the facts and administer appropriate consequences. At any school event safety is our top concern and our expectation is always that students will follow all school rules and laws in order to assure they are able to enjoy school events with their peers. Please speak to your children about the importance of school rules and their key role in helping all school events be fun, safe and enjoyable activities.

Sincerely,
Shelton Mooney
Acting Principal, Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School

Jennifer Baker
Principal, Walter Johnson High School

Interesting how Whitman manages to avoid this insanity. They are a Bethesda school as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not about football. Not about night game time. Not about police. Not about principals or coaches. Not BCC WJ rivalry. Systemic breakdown post-pandemic. Adolescents in crisis across the country. And, MOCO was the last district to open school doors during covid. Bigger issue, going to get bigger.

I don’t blame covid for this barbaric behavior. I blame kids being raised in a subcultural norm where it’s okay (in fact, expected) to react violently when you perceive (imagine?) you have been disrespected.

Ten bucks says the kids who committed the assault will allege the victim made a racist comment…as if that justifies kicking a girl in the head while she’s on laying on the ground.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:From 2020-2023 these 2 schools fight after the football game; either ban spectators from the game or have it at a neutral site.

At this point the athletics association just needs to stop scheduling certain matches.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Again, WJ students were being jumped and beaten, stomped on...etc. It's now come out (video proof) that the same group of thugs attacking the WJ student at the metro also then attacked a student wearing a BCC shirt in the same area. Based on other reports of students in the area, these large groups attacking were likely not at the game and/or only BCC students (if at all).

DC kids?

Silver Spring kids?

Perhaps.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not about football. Not about night game time. Not about police. Not about principals or coaches. Not BCC WJ rivalry. Systemic breakdown post-pandemic. Adolescents in crisis across the country. And, MOCO was the last district to open school doors during covid. Bigger issue, going to get bigger.

I think this is true, and it’s so sad and so daunting.

Here’s the thing, the closures and isolation was hard on everyone. everyone. i saw the toll it took on my own kids. i’m also a teacher. my kid’s mental health is on me, their parent. it’s not on the school although i was grateful for the resources when i asked for them.
a couple of posters have said it previously in this thread but no one wants to talk about it. these kids are angry and lacking guidance. It is their parent’s responsibility to guide them, it was during the school closures too but so many parents checked out and haven’t checked back in.
There are a lot of issues in Mcps, I have worked here for 30 years, I’m well aware of them. However, the half assed parenting that I’ve witnessed as an mcps parent and teacher are by far the most damaging to the kids.

Yes. I completely 1000% agree with this too. (I am also an educator though not currently in mcps.) That said, there need to be immediate, effective consequences for schools and teachers to use for this kind of stuff. Parents need to give consequences and teach kids how to act right, AND schools need to give consequences and hold kids accountable for acting right. They need to be taught and enforced at home and at school too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wilson WJ and BCC are notorious schools for post-game fights. Sad to see but it’s not all kids just a small group.

I don’t think Wilson fights are this bad tbh.