US school let students fight in metal cage

A school in Dallas, Texas is under fire for allowing students to settle disputes using fist fights. South Oak Cliff high school, known locally as ‘Sock,’ let students take part in bare-knuckle fights to sort out their arguments. This happened with the knowledge and consent of the school principal Donald Moten. A report investigating the fights said that one time, Mr. Moten told his staff to put students in a cage to “let them duke it out,” which is Texas talk for fight. The school used a steel and wire cage in the boys’ changing room for the fights. They also used the cage to sort out differences between unruly students. In an interview with the Morning News, Donald Moten, who retired as principal last year, denied any fights were held.

"That's barbaric. You can't do that at a high school. You can't do that anywhere," Mr Moten said. "Ain't nothing to comment on. It never did happen. I never put a stop to anything because it never happened."

In the report, a teacher was quoted as saying that Mr Moten told security personnel to put two fighting students "in the cage and let 'em duke it out".

The report said a hall monitor, Gary King, told investigators he witnessed the head of campus security and an assistant basketball coach place two students in the cage to fight.

Another hall monitor, Reno Savala, told investigators he came upon two students fighting in the cage "bare-fisted with no head or eye protection." Mr Savala said the assistant coach was watching the fight and broke it up when Mr Savala told him to.

"It was gladiator-style entertainment for the staff," Frank Hammond, a fired counselor who has filed a whistle-blower lawsuit against the district, told the newspaper. "They were taking these boys downstairs to fight. And it was sanctioned by the principal and security."

Mr Hammond did not actually witness any of the fights, according to the report.

Dallas police said they have no record of any investigation by the department. The district attorney's office would not comment.

The allegations come about 10 days after law enforcement authorities reported that careworkers at a Corpus Christi, Texas, institution forced mentally disabled residents to fight each other and recorded the brawls for their entertainment.

Date: 2015-02-03; view: 1282