Anonymous wrote:JOHN F. KENNEDY HIGH SCHOOL
1901 Randolph Road, Silver Spring, Maryland 20902
Main Office (240) 740-0100 Main Office Fax (301) 929-2240 Counseling (240) 740-0105
June 5, 2024
Hello John F. Kennedy High School Students, Staff, and Families,
I am writing first to acknowledge that today's graduation ceremony was beautiful and a wonderful celebration of our students and their achievements.
However, it is with regret that I also write to inform you that following graduation, outside on the steps of Constitution Hall, several fights occurred. Some recent graduates were a part of the conflict, but mostly these conflicts involved adults and community members. School staff attempted to intervene and were not successful in suppressing the conflicts. During the incident, some members of the crowd were pepper sprayed by an adult who was involved in the conflict. Police were summoned to the scene and perhaps due to the traffic congestion in the area, it took some time before they were actually on scene. Police separated the parties and began taking statements. What happened is now a police matter, and they will continue to process the incident and follow up with any legal action merited by the situation.
Current students who we find to have been involved in the incident will receive consequences aligned with the
MCPS Student Code of Conduct. We will also continue to engage in restorative conversations with all students, relying on the particular expertise of Dr. Tarik Harris, who is in the building through the end of the year.
I want to thank everyone who tried to intervene and who made appropriate choices. This incident is an embarrassment to our community and is unfair to our students and their families who were there to celebrate.
These types of altercations are unacceptable and do not represent the values of our larger John F. Kennedy High School community. I will be reaching out to share additional community resources where community and family members may engage in mediation to better resolve their conflicts.
If you have questions, concerns or information related to today's incident, please contact me at the school or Mr.
Steve Washington, the head of security. Any information we receive will be kept confidential.
Thank you,
Ms. Vickie Adamson
Principal
John F. Kennedy High School
They say they're keeping the details confidential, but it sounds like another cover-up to me!