BCC Fight

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

I personally think it’s ironic that parents who are super duper against banning books and pro freedom of speech are simultaneously in favor of harshly punishing students who document incidents of wrongdoing so that we don’t need to rely on what eyewitnesses remember or how they characterize what happened. Posting on social media is different but it’s rich to me that a kid who is possibly trying to be an upstander by revealing truth is someone to be silenced and harshly disciplined.

Please. HS kids who are filming fights in school aren't doing it to be an "upstander" - they're filming to post on social media or text to groups of friends for likes and/or facilitate retaliation. That's exactly what happened with this latest BCC fight and with other teenage violence in this area.

I can’t speak to the motivations of this student or what some kids have done. I can speak to the body camera footage from the East Silver Spring incident that revealed a different story than what admin and police may have said. I can speak to the recent incident of the other admin who recently had charges dropped based on video footage that contrasted with eyewitness characterizations. If it were my kid getting attacked, I would be grateful to have video evidence of what transpired. I get why admin doesn’t want to fan the flames on social media, but you’d think they’d want to have as much info/evidence rather than less. So many perps get away with wrongdoing like sexual assault bc there isn’t “proof.”

With the BCC WJ attack last year, the initial MCPS take was that it was a “fight”. The video pretty clearly showed it was an attack (students being jumped by another). I agree that the uses of the video can be problematic but having video evidence of wrong doing is often really helpful. Witness accounts will inevtiably vary or be inaccurate.

[Anonymous]

This behavior is seeming commonplace at BCC. That school has been on the decline and it's only going to get worse. Avoid.

[Anonymous]

BCC mascot encourages fighting. It should be replaced.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:BCC mascot encourages fighting. It should be replaced.

Agree. They should be the B-CC Doves.

[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.

The PP must be with MCPS Central Office and edited the letter, then came here to praise themselves. Did we get that right, Central??

[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.

There are fights at every MCPS high school, PP. My oldest graduated from Walter Johnson and the kids threw chairs and there was a knife fight a few years ago.

I'm a Gen-X UMC white lady. I got punched in the jaw by another white girl in outdoor gym class at Robert Frost Middle School in the 1980s (Wooton feeder). I didn't know her. She and her friend started picking on me and wouldn't leave me alone. Eventually I called one of them a name and she punched me very hard in the face. I was glad my family moved away 2 months later. That's the worst bullying I experienced across 3 "good" school districts. I also remember that the poorer kids seemed nicer than the richest ones.

[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.

The PP must be with MCPS Central Office and edited the letter, then came here to praise themselves. Did we get that right, Central??

Its all for optics.

usually they want to make sure they include in letter how families and what families should do: remind your kid this, see it say it. In this case, the person/s filming did do just what MCPS asks - they saw it and they said it thru photo or video (maybe they didn't have time to add a cheesy song like the videos the Superintendent enjoys making). So now students shouldnt "say" it if they see it?? Which is it McPS?

[Anonymous]

BCC and WJ are both going down the gutter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

There are fights at every MCPS high school, PP. My oldest graduated from Walter Johnson and the kids threw chairs and there was a knife fight a few years ago.

I'm a Gen-X UMC white lady. I got punched in the jaw by another white girl in outdoor gym class at Robert Frost Middle School in the 1980s (Wooton feeder). I didn't know her. She and her friend started picking on me and wouldn't leave me alone. Eventually I called one of them a name and she punched me very hard in the face. I was glad my family moved away 2 months later. That's the worst bullying I experienced across 3 "good" school districts. I also remember that the poorer kids seemed nicer than the richest ones.

This isn't about poor or rich, this is about the fact that the houses zoned for BCC are premium $$$, and yet somehow these behaviors are becoming a normal occurrence at BCC and Walter Johnson. If this is happening at schools where the entry price is $1.4M, then I might as well save $500k and move east of 270.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:BCC and WJ are both going down the gutter.

What about Blair? With new Principal?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BCC and WJ are both going down the gutter.

What about Blair? With new Principal?

I have no idea, but at this point, I'd rather be in Blair than at BCC or WJ. If I'm just going to have to deal with these behaviors being commonplace, I might as well save the extra $500k or get a bigger house and schools that are more diverse. I don't want to send my kids to Whitman or Churchill (no diversity), but I also don't want to pay a premium to be in BCC at this point either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

There are fights at every MCPS high school, PP. My oldest graduated from Walter Johnson and the kids threw chairs and there was a knife fight a few years ago.

I'm a Gen-X UMC white lady. I got punched in the jaw by another white girl in outdoor gym class at Robert Frost Middle School in the 1980s (Wooton feeder). I didn't know her. She and her friend started picking on me and wouldn't leave me alone. Eventually I called one of them a name and she punched me very hard in the face. I was glad my family moved away 2 months later. That's the worst bullying I experienced across 3 "good" school districts. I also remember that the poorer kids seemed nicer than the richest ones.

This isn't about poor or rich, this is about the fact that the houses zoned for BCC are premium $$$, and yet somehow these behaviors are becoming a normal occurrence at BCC and Walter Johnson. If this is happening at schools where the entry price is $1.4M, then I might as well save $500k and move east of 270.

Any correlation between housing price and kid's behavior? Each cluster is required to have "lower" range housing.

[Anonymous]

How's Wheaton these days? You know, a W school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

There are fights at every MCPS high school, PP. My oldest graduated from Walter Johnson and the kids threw chairs and there was a knife fight a few years ago.

I'm a Gen-X UMC white lady. I got punched in the jaw by another white girl in outdoor gym class at Robert Frost Middle School in the 1980s (Wooton feeder). I didn't know her. She and her friend started picking on me and wouldn't leave me alone. Eventually I called one of them a name and she punched me very hard in the face. I was glad my family moved away 2 months later. That's the worst bullying I experienced across 3 "good" school districts. I also remember that the poorer kids seemed nicer than the richest ones.

This isn't about poor or rich, this is about the fact that the houses zoned for BCC are premium $$$, and yet somehow these behaviors are becoming a normal occurrence at BCC and Walter Johnson. If this is happening at schools where the entry price is $1.4M, then I might as well save $500k and move east of 270.

Any correlation between housing price and kid's behavior? Each cluster is required to have "lower" range housing.

Of course not, my point is actually the opposite. People pay premiums because the schools are "better" and "safer," when in reality they're not that different and it just makes me think "why the hell am I paying an extra $500k on a house when I could move to Silver Spring/Takoma Park and get a larger house and more diverse schools?"

Schools should be safe regardless of whether you paid $400k or $2M to live in your house. But if the school with an entry price of $1.4M is going to have all the same issues that any other public school will, might as well save money.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How's Wheaton these days? You know, a W school.

It's gentrifying like crazy. It will be 70% white by 2030.