RIVERDALE, Ga. -- A fight among 11 students and a parent at Charles Drew High School forced officials to put the building on a brief lockdown.
The fight broke out at around noon Tuesday after a conference hosted by school administrators in an effort to address tension among a group of students.
Clayton County Schools spokeswoman Vicki Gavalas said parents and students attended the conference. Gavalas says a mother ordered her daughter to throw the first punch. She then allegedly joined in, with the girl's aunt, along with nearly a dozen other students.
Police were called to the school to break up the fight, prompting the lockdown, Gavalas said.
"We do expect our parents to be examples for the students, not be a part of the problem. We ask for them to be part of the solution," said Gavalas.
Two women were arrested and now face charges for disorderly conduct, disrupting a public school and battery, according to Clayton County Schools Police Chief Clarence Cox. Eleven students involved will have to face a juvenile court judge.
The women, who have yet to be identified, had little to say as they left the police station in handcuffs.
"They still remained somewhat defiant and felt as if they were defending their children," said Cox.
This isn't the first fight at Drew High School. According to the Board of Education, the school reported 104 fights last year. The state average was only 20.
