NORTH COLLEGE HILL, Ohio — Two adults are now facing charges after allegations they encouraged juveniles in North College Hill City Schools to fight after the second day of classes, according to North College Hill police.
NCHPD said it has arrested multiple suspects involved in the fight, including Shevonne Long and Amina Gamble, though police are not releasing information on any juveniles arrested for the altercation. Both Long and Gamble face charges of inciting violence, rioting, disorderly conduct and endangering children.
According to police, portions of the fight were captured on video and circulated on social media.
"We encourage parents and guardians to speak with their children about conflict resolution and the dangers of engaging in or promoting violence," wrote NCHPD's interim chief of police. "Please contact our department if you or your child has information that could prevent further incidents."
The fight took place on August 13, the second day of classes for North College Hill City Schools.
On August 14, North College Hill City Schools Superintendent Eugene Blalock Jr. took to the district's social media page Wednesday evening, saying he felt "frustrated and powerless" after he watched parents encourage a group of students to fight one another.
Blalock wrote that at around 3:50 p.m. on Wednesday, he looked out his office window and saw a large group of students and a parent talking and gesturing up the street, where another group of students and adults were waiting near the corner of Savannah and Dallas.
When Blalock got to the corner, he said he saw two parents encouraging the students to fight.
"I witnessed two boys viciously fight one another, with other students getting physically involved," wrote Blalock.
We caught up with Blalock on on August 14 to talk to him about what he saw.
"The parents were like 'C'mon, let him go!' 'No, no, y'all can fight right here. Y'all can fight right here,'" Blalock said.
Blalock said that's unacceptable. He said he and his staff work with kids to resolve their conflicts with words.
Blalock said events like this are draining. He said there's only so much that school leaders, police and city leaders can do to prevent situations like this from happening.
"It starts at home," Blalock said. "The schools are tapped out. We are doing everything possible to keep our students safe when they're in our buildings."
