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Police to Charge Six Students Involved in Food Fight

The students will be charged with disorderly conduct after engaging in a food fight Tuesday at Council Rock North that the principal said posed a health and safety risk to all present.

 

 

Six students involved in a food fight at Council Rock North have been suspended and will receive citations charging them with disorderly conduct, the Newtown Township Police Department said.

Since the students are all juveniles, their names will not be released, police said.

The incident, which some students are calling the “Great Food Fight of 2012,” occurred shortly after noon Tuesday during the sixth period lunch.

Council Rock High School North principal Susan McCarthy said a number of senior boys initiated the pre-planned food fight, which included “hurling the contents of large containers of salad dressing, ketchup, plates of food, fruit items, etc. at themselves and others in the cafeteria.”    

McCarthy said the food fight posed a health and safety risk to all students present. “In our judgment, a health and safety risk existed both during and after the event, as a quick clean-up needed to occur before the start of the next lunch period in an area that was impossible to walk on without slipping and sliding,” she said.

While Superintendent Mark Klein would not comment on any disciplinary action taken as a result of the food fight, several sources told Newtown Patch that in addition to the suspensions and citations, some of the students involved will not be able to walk at graduation.

McCarthy said the administration was aware of the possibility of the event and prepared in advance, sending all administrators, security personnel, the Newtown Township School Resource Officer and hall monitors to the cafeteria “in an attempt to avert the situation.” 

“Although this presence did not stop the students from their intended actions, it possibly averted a larger, more serious disruption in a lunch of almost 600 students, including a segment of our most vulnerable student population, as well as our cafeteria staff,” she said. 

McCarthy said “emotions were extremely high, with innocent students being caught in the crossfire.”

Related Topics: Council Rock North and Council Rock North food fight

Mike L.

11:11 am on Friday, May 4, 2012

A tad dramatic. The kids should be required to issue a public apology and do a cleanup. Humiliation in front of their peers would be a much more effective punishment.

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Ken

12:23 pm on Friday, May 4, 2012

We all can certainly understand the disruption and mischievous-ness of the 'food fight', even the danger of flying bottled objects; but to issue citations and taking the enforcement outside the school is a bit much. Make them clean the cafeteria for a week with in school suspension, and loss of other privileges would be enough

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Hank

12:25 pm on Friday, May 4, 2012

I hope they know that this will go down on their Permanent Record!

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The Illuminati

12:48 pm on Friday, May 4, 2012

This should have been handled internally. No need to bring in the police. What is the world coming to if you can't have a food fight without the government getting involved? Then again...this is par for the course since most (sh)eeple want the government to manage every aspect of their lives. Years ago, the school would have just punished them and the parents would have punished them worse. Now people expect the "state" to raise their children. Just a microcosm of the said state of affairs of our nation.

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Dana - www.petsitnewtown.com

12:48 pm on Friday, May 4, 2012

This is a "prank"? It's so juvenile, I don't understand how anyone would find it funny.

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Liberty 1

2:08 pm on Sunday, May 6, 2012

Juvenile? I guess so, they are in high school. Bet you were lot's of fun in high school. Poor Coco.

ABCDEF

1:25 pm on Friday, May 4, 2012

the police involved....really??!! What a crock!! It's the school district avoiding having the parents complain "not my kid" It was a prank.......poor judgement? yes. But using tax dollar money to address it. A citation will do nothing those kids will remember. Their parents will pay any fine issued. You want to show them it was wrong. Scrubbing pots and pans and mopping floors til graduation will make a much bigger impact on them and any other brainiacs thinking of doing the same prank.

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Meg_A_Beach

1:50 pm on Friday, May 4, 2012

The morons who pulled the prank did it in front of the Police Officer that is stationed at the high school. That is why they are getting charged, not because the school district called the police. She was right there in the cafeteria and they did it anyway. They totally deserve citations.

2013

1:36 pm on Friday, May 4, 2012

AS usual CR overreacting to a small incident !
Mark Klein, should watch his teachers as close !

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Meg_A_Beach

1:53 pm on Friday, May 4, 2012

The food fight happened in a lunch room full of 600 kids. Think about that for a second. When pandemonium breaks out in a crowd of 600 children, where the floor (covered in salad dressing and ketchup) quickly becomes a sheet of ice, injuries can happen easily. Now realize that not all of those 600 kids are the same. Some of the kids in that room are disabled (they eat lunch with the "regular" kids!). How are they supposed to get out of the way? The lunch room workers are often elderly, retired women. How are they supposed to get out of the way? What about kids that don't want to get hit with a flying bowl of pudding. The kids did this in the 1st lunch of the day and every lunch after that had slippery floors and nowhere to eat their lunch. Still think it's funny?
People that "poo poo" this incident need to get their heads screwed on straight. The kids who did this created a dangerous situation for their own amusement and there isn't anything funny about it.

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Mary Burke

2:42 pm on Friday, May 4, 2012

Didn't hear that anyone was hurt so obviously all those people you mentioned were able to get out of the way!!!!!!!

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Meg_A_Beach

2:50 pm on Friday, May 4, 2012

Mary - it took staff an hour to calm down the mentally & physically disabled kids who were terrified from all the commotion and screaming, (you realize how loud 600 screeching kids can be, right? and how confusing that may be to a mentally disabled 15 year older child?) but since there's no blood, it's all good right?

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a female

3:35 pm on Friday, May 4, 2012

it was the 3rd lunch of the day ya idiot

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Meg_A_Beach

4:16 pm on Monday, May 14, 2012

a female -Yes, because that detail makes such a difference. Idiot, hm? Classy.

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a female

3:47 pm on Friday, May 4, 2012

600 students? considering north's population is 2,259 and there are 5 lunches, that would mean 452 students in this lunch. also, the food fight took place on one half of the cafeteria, so that would equal 226 total students. only 6 of these were involved kids. the other students quickly stationed themselves to the perimeter of the cafeteria. the "innocent bystanders" caught in the "cross-fire" were, indeed, laughing students taking pictures. granted, the mentally and physically challenged students were certainly overwhelmed, but authority figures quickly calmed them down..this is blown SO out of proportion. police involvement is unnecessary and newspaper/news cast publicity is ridiculous. this was a food fight that lasted two minutes in a small town Pennsylvanian high school. get over it.

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Ron Sullivan

5:18 pm on Friday, May 4, 2012

There were not 600 kids. The school has 1600 kids, divided up into 5 lunches. Susan McCarthy completely exaggerated, as usual.

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CMC

7:19 pm on Friday, May 4, 2012

Meg.............I agree whole heartedly

The Illuminati

2:18 pm on Friday, May 4, 2012

It is not funny, but it doesn't mean these kids needs a permanant stain on their criminal record for it. I agree punishment should be and needs to be doled out, but disorderly conduct will remain on their criminal record for life. There are much more suitable punishments that these kids won't still be having to answer for on job interviews when they are 40 years old.

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Meg_A_Beach

2:29 pm on Friday, May 4, 2012

They're getting a disorderly conduct citation because they did it in front of the cop who is stationed at the high school and was present in the cafeteria and they didn't care and did it any way. That is how arrogant these kids behaved. They absolutely chose the behavior and the consequences for themselves and sometimes those consequences are long term. No one is persecuting them. Senior pranks are a rite of passage and can be very humorous. Does anyone know what South's was? No. You know why? It didn't involve disorderly conduct or vandalism and didn't make the news. They stuck 1500 forks in South's front lawn. It was funny to them and they cleaned it up after. No harm, no foul.

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2013

11:50 pm on Friday, May 4, 2012

And U R supposed to be serious, with a butcher knife to Your head ?
Get a REAL life !

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GoldenHawks

11:59 pm on Friday, May 4, 2012

try 35,000 forks...atleast give us the credit we deserve.

Akon

3:13 pm on Friday, May 4, 2012

I find this very funny mostly because it gets everyone all fired up over something so stupid. I was In the lunch room when it happened an I didn't see one administrator try an stop anyone and all this talk of oh somebody cold have gotten hurt and on and on well show me somebody that did get hurt because I no for a fact nobody did. I think people need to calm down and take things less serious enjoy being kids for gods sake.

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Sandro

6:00 pm on Friday, May 4, 2012

Meg a beach is completly wrong if the kids isnt physically capable of getting out of the way just put him in a special lunch. Also they completly overreacted . And second you are thinking way outside the box. Its a simple food fight.

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ABCDEF

6:22 pm on Friday, May 4, 2012

Meg_A_Beach, I see what your name really implies. It's people like you as to why things like this are taken way to the extreme. You are being ridiculous. Cafeteria food fights have been around for years and years. Stop making it like it was a riot of some sort. Arrogant because a cop was there? Please, its not against the law to have a food fight. He's not a babysitter. Were they throwing knives or chairs or objects that can actually cause bodily harm on impact. NO!! It was FOOD!! Why don't you stand on your soap box for a more deserving cause. A criminal record for throwing food is beyond absurd.

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CMC

7:18 pm on Friday, May 4, 2012

Sooooooo, in other words you all seem to feel that if they went to the Oxford Valley Mall and started a food fight right in front of the cops stationed in the food court that they should NOT be charged with disorderly conduct? Do I get that right?? I fail to see the difference.........a facility used by the public and monitored by a police officer in order to keep things orderly...............oh, I forgot, this COUNCIL ROCK where the rich kids are supposed to get away with this stuff without real life consequences. I doubt they'd get away with it at the mall. Great job CR North administrators.......it's time we taught kids that there are consequences to behavior and horrrrrrrrooooorrrrrrs........yes, some of them are permanent!

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ABCDEF

8:00 pm on Friday, May 4, 2012

According to the witnesses they were actually in the cafeteria, the incident only occurred at one table and the teenagers would have been thrown out of the mall if they this happened. Could not have been as bad as the principle who wasn't even there when it happened because all was cleaned up in minutes. It has also been noted they actual incident only last about a minute. Lets be realistic here. You are going by the blown up accounts and not the actual facts of what occurred.

2013

11:55 pm on Friday, May 4, 2012

OH, BUT IT HAPPENED AT THE "GREAT" COUNCIL ROCK HIGH !
Get over it and see that this school is not much different than others in the area.
Just with the most overpaid Teachers !

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Mary Beth

11:55 pm on Friday, May 4, 2012

Geez, whatever happened to just having a Senior Cut Day? That's more fun. Seriously, suspension is warranted but not being allowed to walk with your graduating class is a bit much.

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Kara Seymour

7:24 am on Saturday, May 5, 2012

Hi folks, thanks for your feedback. As per our Terms of Use (http://newtown-pa.patch.com/terms) please refrain from using profanity in your comments or they will be removed. Thank you!

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Concerned Resident

7:31 am on Saturday, May 5, 2012

What did these kids think would happen to them? What a way to end the school year. I am glad that my child at rival William Tennent, while making some very poor decisions and having acting out episodes, will walk at graduation, has never had an out-of-school suspension, has never started a food fight & his college will not be hearing about this + no permanent record (assuming those seniors are 18). There parents must be very disappointed.

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Tommy

8:48 am on Saturday, May 5, 2012

Really! A tad much! Council Rock needs to get there head out of there a@$, and realize this is just a harmless prank. When I was a kid we had a food fight, we cut 1 & 2nd period, we kept the vp on his toes, but nobody got hurt and it was just all in good fun. They should at most get a detention or help the janitors clean up. This is rediculous...

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joey joe joe

9:56 am on Saturday, May 5, 2012

These students are terrorsts

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CRN studenft

10:35 am on Saturday, May 5, 2012

I was present in the cafeteria and you are all being rediculous, it lasted about six seconds at one or two tables and was cleaned up in five, no bottles were thrown, the worst thing that happened was salad dressing was sprayed. All of you should go get a life and stop blowing this totally out of proportion

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Kathleen Reidy

11:12 am on Saturday, May 5, 2012

I am quite sure their "helicopter parents" will consult lawyers and force the school to recind the citations and allow their precious angels the privledge of walking at graduation.

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Rose Abrams

12:45 pm on Friday, May 11, 2012

If you refer to educated parents working two jobs to maintain a level of living that is safe and secure, yes, they are "helicopter parents". They are also the parents of students that keep CR at the TOP of the school systems in Pa. The schools that parents want to send their children to and pay high taxes to maintain this goal..The parents are concerned people who do stay involved with their children. You sound like a vindictive jealous spiteful person and I hope that you are NOT one of my neighbors.

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the VOICE

8:56 pm on Saturday, May 12, 2012

CR schools are rated good, because they don't have to deal with the rif-raf that many other schools have to deal with !
The school police woman is paid by the school district; just in case, something major happens. Nice job, Huh! Taxpayers money at work! So how they put a stop to this ???

Mother of four great kids

2:51 pm on Saturday, May 5, 2012

All of this is totally blown out of proportions. Citation for disorderly conduct on the student's permanent records for a mere food fight......?!?!? Ridiculous!!!

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Philly Boy

5:30 pm on Saturday, May 5, 2012

Having gone to a public school in Philadelphia I have to laugh at the reaction that the school administration is taking. I guess 'health an safety risk' is a very relative term.

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Andrew

11:02 pm on Saturday, May 5, 2012

People these days are way too eager to get police involved in schools, criminalizing what in my grandfather's day (his own words) was considered harmless kids' fun. Kids can't be kids anymore - we've made it either against the law or against some set of rules for them to do anything other than sit in front of the TV.

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Candis

9:17 am on Sunday, May 6, 2012

This is outrageous! Why anyone would ever throw pudding is beyond me! It wasn't chocolate, was it?

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Mother of four great kids

10:36 am on Sunday, May 6, 2012

You are completely right, Andrew. This whole situation makes me wonder, if Council Rock North is a school or a prison as the teachers and administrators are acting like wardens rather than educators! Compared to what happens in other schools around the country with guns and knives a food fight is a bit of benign fun. A much bigger concern are the drugs being sold in the school parking lot but this seems to be an issue the administrators don't have the courage to tackle. Shame on them!!! Their priorities are completely screwed up!

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Lynn

10:04 pm on Sunday, May 6, 2012

Unbelievable! I am all for kids dealing with the consequences of their actions, but this is beyond ridiculous. I for one would not be the least embarassed if it were my child. Would I think it was stupid? Of course, but in the big scheme of things it's a relative nothing. As others have said, make them scrub the walls and do community service, but a citation? I think the administrators have lost their minds. My CR North student has a hard time finding people to hang out with who don't drink and do drugs....I'd rather the administrators tackle that problem.

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Mary Alice Brancato

7:46 am on Monday, May 7, 2012

I find it hard to believe that a "food fight" warrants citations, suspensions and loss of the walking in graduation. Yes I'm sure it was disruptive but there are better ways to handle this situation with level heads and keeping things in perspective. Messy food all over the floor and tables doesn't warrant the loss of graduation. Seems the "powers that be" at this school have forgotten what being a "teen" is like. Why didn't they have the kids involved clean up the mess thoroughly? Why not have the kids clean the cafeteria every day for a few weeks? Why not have them apologize? I'm sure most of the parents would dole out their own punishments at home where the bulk of the discipline needs to be handled. Giving citations to the kids basically punishes the parents. Court means loss of time and money from work for the parents not the kids. Citations means loss of money for the parents not the kids. What teen do you know with a few hundred extra dollars laying around to pay it? Loss of walking in graduation does hurt the kids but it also hurts the parents who have walked these kids through 12 or more years of school. Do the parents need to be punished? No! It used to be if you make a mess then you clean up a mess not have the police get involved. As for the administrators that thought this was coming....time to rethink your planning?? Let the punishment fit the "crime."

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Mother of four great kids

6:57 pm on Monday, May 7, 2012

Agreed, agreed, AGREED, Mary. How to best let the administrators
know that they are WRONG is the question.

Heidi

1:16 pm on Tuesday, May 8, 2012

I graduated from Tennent in 1994 and we had the same thing happen. Kids were cited then as well so it not a current issue.

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Lisa

5:25 pm on Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Great, job, McCarthy. I'll pay extra to avoid CR North and go to a classy private school, any day. Worth every penny. If this ever happended at my son's school--which it had not ever happened his entire four years, because yes, they would be expected to clean it up. Actually, those gentleman knew better and never even came close to this type of disorderly conduct.

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