DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A school police officer pepper-sprayed middle school students, and parents are upset because they say school officials didn't tell them what happened.
The officer pepper-sprayed 18 students Wednesday afternoon at Miller Grove Middle School, according to school officials.
The incident started when two boys got into a fight in the hallway, school officials said. Three teachers tried to break up the fight, but couldn't.
“She started trying to break it up, and the seventh-graders started jumping Ms. Knight, so the security guard came and she started spraying the pepper spray,” one student witness said.
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Several students had surrounded the fight, and the officer sprayed into air. School officials said she had no choice but to use the pepper spray to diffuse the situation.
“The pepper spray started getting in everyone’s eyes, so they started jumping out the window trying to get to the ambulance and stuff, and this girl passed out,” a student said.
The students who were sprayed were treated at the school.
“They were crying, and my granddaughter was hysterical on the phone. Even with her glasses on, her eyes were messed up,” one parent said.
Parents said they had no idea this happened and added that they should have been notified immediately.
“Yeah, they need to explain a little more about what happened, the entire breakdown of the incident,” parent Jackie Paulwell said.
The school sent a note home to parents Thursday, telling them what happened and that pepper spray was used because they couldn’t get the situation under control.
Paulwell said she also disagrees with the decision to use pepper spray.