Massachusetts school board members ask for National Guard to be deployed to contain repeated fights at local high school

Brockton High School in Brockton, Massachusetts, is the largest public school in the state, boasting a total of over 3,500 students. However, it also boasts an apparent problem with student violence that has become so severe that four members of the Brockton School Committee sent a letter to their mayor asking for the National Guard to be called in to restore order at the school.

The letter was sent last Thursday to Mayor Robert F. Sullivan. The letter claims that "our high school has experienced a disturbing increase in incidents related to violence, security concerns, and substance abuse" in recent months and blames, in part, a lack of adequate staffing. In a public school meeting last month, many teachers from Brockton High reportedly broke down in tears about the level of school violence. A number of stabbing incidents have also taken place recently at the school.

The letter claims that staffing shortages have led to numerous incidents in which trespassers were found wandering on school grounds without authorization, leading to concerns about the security of the facility in addition to the issues with violence.

For his part, Mayor Sullivan promised to forward the request on to Massashusetts Governor Maura Healey (D) but noted that he does not agree with calling up the National Guard at the school.

Healey responded to the letter in a statement last Friday, saying, "Our administration is committed to ensuring that schools are safe and supportive environments. ... We are aware of concerns raised about Brockton High School and are in touch with local officials."

The Massachusetts National Guard was activated in 2021 by then-governor Charlie Baker (R) in order to address bus driver shortages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Massachusetts has seen an increase in overall school violence lately, with a number of incidents that have gone viral on social media, including a lunchtime altercation at Haverhill High School in early February that attracted significant attention.