Revere High School Administrator Sent to Hospital After Fight

A Revere High School administrator was injured after a “massive brawl” broke out just days after the start of the new school year, according to the Revere Teachers Association.

In a news release Friday, the teachers union said a high school administrator was punched in the face while trying to break up a fight on the third day of school. While the RTA said the staff member was knocked unconscious in the fight and had to be taken to the hospital by ambulance, Revere Public Schools disputed both allegations.

The district confirmed there was a physical altercation involving several students during the transition to lunch on Thursday. In a statement, Revere Public Schools said a staff member was struck during the fight and was taken to the hospital “out of an abundance of caution,” though they are now home and reportedly feeling fine.

“Revere Public Schools is among the highest performing school districts in the state and we work every day to provide a safe learning environment for every student,” the district said, adding, “We have zero tolerance for violence in our schools and are coordinating closely with our teams at Revere High School and the Revere Police Department to ensure all parties involved are held accountable.”

The district said Revere High School has identified about a dozen students who will face disciplinary action for their involvement in the incident, including possible suspension or expulsion.

But for the Revere Teachers Association, Thursday’s incident is another rallying point in an ongoing battle over school safety.

“Revere teachers saw this coming because we consistently raised these concerns, and now our schools are being impacted by this preventable incident,” RTA co-chairs Michelle Ervin and Jane Chapin said in a statement. “Revere teachers know that our working conditions are our students’ learning conditions, and we are deeply frustrated because we have provided solutions to address this health and safety crisis. This has fallen on deaf ears.”

The union also said multiple students were also involved in an after-school altercation this week on Beach Street near Revere High School. According to the Revere Teachers Association, a video of the incident made the rounds on social media and showed what appeared to be a gun.

The RTA said it has regularly raised the alarm about health and safety issues at schools, but said its calls have been ignored. Revere schools are currently understaffed, the union said in its news release.

On Friday, the RTA reiterated its calls for a health and safety task force; more transparent and rigorous monitoring of “student dysregulation” (i.e., difficulty regulating one’s emotions and reactions) and violence at school; additional social workers and support services; and designated “therapy rooms” that would provide safe spaces for dysregulated students in need of de-escalation.

“Rather than address the safety crisis in our schools, the Revere School Board has redoubled its efforts to distort the situation and systematically deny our concerns about school safety,” Ervin and Chapin said. “The Revere School Board has abdicated its responsibility to ensure the well-being of Revere students and teachers. They are ignoring a crisis.”

Boston.com has reached out to the office of Revere Mayor Patrick M. Keefe Jr., chairman of the School Committee, for comment.

The RTA said educators and their allies will gather at the Revere City Council meeting on Sept. 9 to present petitions calling for action on school safety issues.

“RTA educators will continue to advocate for the safety and well-being of our students and ensure we resolve this crisis, no matter what the cost,” Ervin and Chapin said.