Fox News Flash top headlines for May 19
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Officials at a Boston school reportedly delayed calling for police assistance as a fight broke out and the father of a student allegedly flashed a gun to egg the fight on.
"Officers asked [Assistant Head of Schools] Johnson if he had any information on the students involved in the fight or information of the parents from the O’Bryant School, but he was unable to or declined to indulge because of BPS regulations," police officers wrote in a police report obtained by Fox News Digital.
Police responded at 4:40 p.m. on May 13 to an incident at Madison Park Technical Vocational High School after two parents from the neighboring O'Bryant School supposedly "instigated a fight between their daughter and another student." Students told staff that a dad was "pulling at his waist area," with some saying they saw a gun.
But the fight had occurred at 2:35 p.m. and no one reached out to police until it was clear that a report "needed to be filed." Officers asked officials from the O'Bryant School for information about the students involved in the fight, but the school declined to answer due to Boston Public School regulations.
Madison Park Technical Vocational High School in Boston, Mass. (via Google Maps)
Officers obtained four videos of "an altercation" that may have been the aforementioned fight. Officers also learned that a staff member intended to call the police, but was informed that he needed to be at the location for police to respond.
The incident appears to be the latest in a series of calls that the Boston Police have received after a delay – if at all.
"We share a common concern to prevent court involvement, especially for juveniles, whenever possible," District Attorney Kevin Hayden said, adding that delayed reports of "dangerous situations" in schools were "deeply disturbing." "But there has to be a sensible balance between responsible reporting and follow-up action, when necessary, to ensure the safety of students and staff."
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East Boston Rev. David Searles formed Safety in Our Schools in response to the supposed string of delayed calls to police, saying that the group wants to see increased measures in schools to prevent dangerous situations from arising in the first place: metal detectors installed, police presence increased and community partnerships established.
"The evidence is mounting each week of the dangerous situation the children and youth are facing in schools throughout the city of Boston," Searles told the Dorchester Reporter. "As a member of the clergy, I’m a mandated reporter – a process known as a 51A. I can’t ‘51A’ the entire BPS as they told me there is no mechanism for that."
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"That’s when we began to look at state receivership and maybe that’s our 51A mechanism here for school safety…(BPS) has proven to be irresponsible and maybe we need the state to take over," he added.
The Boston Police Department did not respond to a Fox News request for comment.
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