'Unacceptable': Giant brawl breaks out at Gadsden County High School
A violent melee broke out at Gadsden County High School Thursday, with dozens of students brawling in an incident captured on video that left parents worried and the campus reportedly on lockdown.
Gadsden County Schools Superintendent Elijah Key Jr. confirmed that the fight occurred, though he said he didn't have details. He said he was unsure about injuries but that one student was reportedly hurt. There were reports of three ambulances being called to the school.
"The only thing I can really say is pretty much all the students that have been involved in that situation will be dealt with according to the code of student conduct," he said.
At 3:30 p.m., the Gadsden County School District acknowledged the brawl in a Facebook post.
"The Gadsden County School District is aware of the video showing a brawl at Gadsden County High School," the post stated. "This behavior will not be tolerated, and disciplinary action will be taken in strict accordance with the Code of Conduct. We fully cooperate with the Gadsden County Sheriff's Office as the investigation progresses. The safety of our students is our highest priority."
Important Notice:The Gadsden County School District is aware of the video showing a brawl at Gadsden County High...
Posted by Gadsden County School District - Florida on Thursday, February 20, 2025
Superintendent Key, who was attending the Florida Association of District School Superintendents in Orlando, said he had just watched one of the videos of the brawl on Facebook. The videos showed numerous students involving in a massive fight, prompting numerous comments by concerned parents.
"I'm a parent of two kids myself who go out there, so I totally understand their fear," Key told the Democrat in an interview. "It's unacceptable in our school community. That type of behavior is just unacceptable."
Capt. Anglie Holmes, spokeswoman for the Gadsden County Sheriff's Office, confirmed that the agency responded to the scene. However, she couldn't immediately provide any information.
Someone posted videos of the fights on Facebook along with a warning for parents:
"Check on ya kids at Gadsden high school. One just left by ambulance after a fight and another ambulance pulling up! School on lockdown I couldn't even get in!"
The videos showed students screaming and shouting in the cafeteria — with some yelling in fear and others encouraging the brawlers.
Students gathered around the fights, some standing on tables, trying to watch and record the violence.
At one point, students can be seen pummeling one another in a massive dog pile as someone smashes a wooden stool of the top of them.
A few feet over, two girls fought with one pinned to the ground and the other on top of her hitting and kicking her head into the tile floor. Surrounding students pulled her off as what appeared to be an injured girl lay on the ground hardly moving.
A sheriff's deputy is seen later in the video breaking up the crowd with another adult.
This is a developing story. Check back for details.
Contact Jeff Burlew at jburlew@tallahassee.com or 850-599-2180. Elena Barrera can be reached at ebarrera@tallahassee.com.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Giant brawl breaks out at Gadsden County, Florida, High School
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