When a video of a brawl at a Pembroke Pines high school started circulating, the principal alerted parents that anyone involved could face discipline — including those filming it.
West Broward High Principal Brad Fatout was hoping to dissuade students from posting fight videos on TikTok and other social media sites, possibly encouraging more fights or bullying, district officials said. The issue has drawn national attention this month after a New Jersey student killed herself after a video of her being attacked circulated on social media.
But students also have used videos to report incidents or provide evidence to administrators, police or their parents, and some question whether punishing these students sends a message to keep problems at school quiet.
At least one School Board member wants the district to review the district’s cellphone policy and student code of conduct to ensure they address the realities students face.
The questions arose following a Jan. 29 letter to parents from Fatout about several recent fights, including a large one that happened on Jan. 24. A Local 10 news report on Jan. 31 described the brawl as a “vicious beatdown.” The video, which a parent shared with the station, showed a group of girls repeatedly punching another girl and a school security guard falling down as she tries to break it up.
“The recent altercations have all been isolated incidents. The Broward Schools discipline matrix will continue to be followed for all incidents,” Fatout wrote in the email to parents. “Furthermore, students who videotape and/or incite a disturbance are also subject to disciplinary consequences. We are actively putting things in place to eliminate this behavior.”
But there isn’t actually a policy that explicitly bans the recording of fights, and the code of conduct may specifically allow it in some situations, which has led to confusion.
“Students will not be subject to disciplinary action for the use of wireless communication devices when used to report a potentially dangerous situation that compromises the safety of students, staff or property,” the district’s student code of conduct states. “In such an event, any recordation/ information shall be shared with administrative staff as soon as possible.”
The policy prohibits “improper use” of an electronic device, describing that as something that “disrupts the educational environment or interferes with the safety of students, staff or property.” Discipline can range from a verbal warning to a suspension, depending on the severity and frequency of the offense.
“Clearly, if footage is used on social media for bullying this is absolutely unacceptable and I support discipline,” said School Board member Torey Alston, whose district includes West Broward High.
But he said there may also be legitimate reasons to film.
“This topic blends personal rights, safety/security, and transparency,” Alston said. “Since cellphones are allowed in our schools, I believe the policy should be reviewed by the board. ... I will be seeking feedback from our attorneys, as we explore the student code of conduct coming up in a few weeks.”
Fatout couldn’t be reached, but district spokeswoman Keyla Concepcion said the principal’s concern was “creating a disturbance and recording the incident to gain notoriety — with friends, on social media, to get on the news, etc.
“As the principal shared in his message, the issue is when it is used to incite and encourage disruptive behavior,” Concepcion said. ”Proper use is encouraged. The District promotes to all students, ‘If You See Something, Say Something,’ which asks for the submission of tips — including videos, pictures and information — to report suspicious activity.”
The district did not respond to a request for data on how often students are disciplined for filming fights.
Zayra Lenchus, a former security monitor at Monarch High in Coconut Creek, sees it as a bad idea to punish kids for filming a violent incident on campus.
“I think they have bigger things to worry about,” she said.
Lenchus said students often record fights to provide evidence to protect a friend who isn’t the aggressor.
“Sometimes you’ll get hit first and end up with a five or 10-day suspension,” she said. “Administrators don’t always have time to investigate who was at fault.”
Jayden D’Onofrio, a senior at Western High in Davie, said he thinks administrators may be focusing on the wrong issue.
“If the School Board and school administrators want kids to stop videotaping fights, how about we start investing in mental health initiatives to limit the amount of fights altogether?” he said.
“Nothing gets done by confronting kids that videotape, that only challenges the consequence of the main issue rather than taking on school fights at the root of its cause,” he said.
However, Sameer Hinduja, a criminology professor at Florida Atlantic University and co-director of the national Cyberbullying Research Center, has a completely different take. He encourages districts to ban the recording of fights, saying the practice creates too many problems.
“I know one might make the argument that having the digital evidence can help inform disciplinary action, but I see too many situations where the recording is used to gain clout on social media (likes, shares, followers), and leads to compounded harassment for at least one — if not both — of the teens featured in the video,” he said in an email.
He said if there’s a disincentive to record, “you’d hope that (ideally) one or more bystanders would summon assistance from an adult more quickly to avoid a brutal victimization from taking place if the fight is one-sided.”
