Middle Schoolers Pepper Sprayed After Food Fight

Administrators are investigating a Norfolk school security guard's use of pepper spray during a food fight.

The incident happened during lunch Tuesday at the cafeteria of Lafayette-Winona Middle School. Norfolk Public Schools spokesperson Elizabeth Mather said that the officer used pepper spray to break up the fight.

A concerned parent wrote 10 On Your Side saying the spray caused some of the kids with asthma to get sick. Mather said 37 students who complained of physical symptoms following the pepper spray were examined by the school nurse, and their parents were contacted.

Food fight! Then students pepper sprayed

I understand kids can be pretty chaotic. I have a middle school-aged child myself, and he can be a handful. But using pepper spray on 12 year olds? I think the security guard got quite over zealous here. Hopefully she will be fired and never allowed near kids again.

/TOA

You know, rent a cops, as well as police seem to have this idea in their heads that just because it won't kill someone, that it's ok to use it at will to solve any problem.

What if a kid had been suffering from an asthma attack? We'd have one dead kid on our hands.

Some people have no brains.

You know, using pepper spray on high schoolers in a gang fight I'm okay with.

But using it on some 12 year olds having a food fight? Yeah, I think that might be a little bit overdoing it.

I know what the excuse will be. "They wouldn't break it up when I told them to." By that logic, I should just shoot to kill when my two five year old nieces won't stop their fighting.

The punishment has to fit the crime, and "not doing what they're told" is not sufficient enough a crime to warrant pepper spray.

Originally posted by projectvxn
You know, rent a cops, as well as police seem to have this idea in their heads that just because it won't kill someone, that it's ok to use it at will to solve any problem.

What if a kid had been suffering from an asthma attack? We'd have one dead kid on our hands.

Some people have no brains.

I saw that exact situation go down after a "rave" here in Reno about 2 years ago. My friends had walked out and were walking back to their car when a caddy rolled by real slow, some guys said something to them and then pepper sprayed them. One of my friends had asthma and had to go to the ER.

Seriously though it seems like I've heard lately is about people getting pepper sprayed.

reply to post by ArrowsNV


I live in Reno too.

A few years ago I got nailed by tear gas that some gang bangers had.

I don't have asthma but if I did it could have killed me that's for sure.

A lot of pepper sprays are mixed with tear gas.

Why didn't they just hit them with the flashlight or baton? I mean damn pepper spray is going pretty far... Do you know how many minutes its going to take for the janitor to clean up that mess the students made...

Damn these kids are like 12 right aren't they old enough to realize how wrong it is to throw food at each other? what is wrong with these children why don't they grow up and act like adults and instead of throwing food at each other they shoot each other with guns...

If I would have been pepper sprayed for taking part in a food fight when I was a kid, my vengeance would have been terrible.

TERRIBLE!!!

I'm much more mellow now, but this really pisses me off.

Originally posted by warpcrafter
If I would have been pepper sprayed for taking part in a food fight when I was a kid, my vengeance would have been terrible.

TERRIBLE!!!

I'm much more mellow now, but this really pisses me off.

If it were my child that got sprayed, my wrath would start at the guard and roll all the way to the negligent morons that allowed such a person to be armed with pepper spray around my child.
My wrath would be severe and well worth the fines and anger managment classes I would be required to take afterwards.
Hurt my minor child and I will hurt you.

If you back the Security Officer for OCing kids during a food fight you're wrong , plain and simple. This guy should be fired , the security subcontractor will be lucky if they get away without a lawsuit. Maybe it's just me , I dunno, can anyone here show me where it says deploy OC during a food fight in the use of force continuum?

I didn't think so... If the only tool in your toolbox to stop a middle school food fight is OC , then security is not the job for you...lol Maybe try something a little more low speed high drag like a retirement home , or a hospice.

Originally posted by BadNinja68

Originally posted by warpcrafter
If I would have been pepper sprayed for taking part in a food fight when I was a kid, my vengeance would have been terrible.

TERRIBLE!!!

I'm much more mellow now, but this really pisses me off.

If it were my child that got sprayed, my wrath would start at the guard and roll all the way to the negligent morons that allowed such a person to be armed with pepper spray around my child.
My wrath would be severe and well worth the fines and anger managment classes I would be required to take afterwards.
Hurt my minor child and I will hurt you.

I would be inclined to empty a can of pepper spray into the eyes nose and mouth of that security guard and keep tabs on their movements for a few months so i could do the same at the end of each week.
As for the faculty..........
Here's a tip for you parents out there:
NEVER visit teachers etc that you need to have stern words with at their office, ALWAYS find them outside of school hours, preferably at their home. This, in my experience, never fails to impress on them the seriousness of causing harm to your children. Just don't hamstring yourself by losing your cool, don't commit a crime just be sure to leave the possibility open and ensure that the person you need to talk with is well aware that they WILL be held accountable, one way or the other, if something goes wrong.

Had a pedophile teacher when i was in primary (junior 6 -12 yrs old)
The Catholic church kept protecting him at work..... But they couldn't do it at his home

reply to post by Raivan31


Who meets with a teacher at their home? That's just weird lol

Originally posted by projectvxn
You know, rent a cops, as well as police seem to have this idea in their heads that just because it won't kill someone, that it's ok to use it at will to solve any problem.

What if a kid had been suffering from an asthma attack? We'd have one dead kid on our hands.

Some people have no brains.

Some of them apparently had asthma. I am an asthmatic and have been since I was a small child. I never "grew out of it", as a lot of adults do. I can imagine the hard time these kids had breathing for a couple hours after being sprayed, and it makes my blood boil.

/TOA