A video posted to Facebook in celebration of graduation day at Faulk Elementary School in West Memphis, Ark., started nicely enough, showing a woman in a car listening to music on the way to the celebration. The end of the video – that’s another story.
Sped up footage in the video, posted Wednesday by Alecia Evans, takes viewers through the school, into a communal area where children are seen graduating in front of an audience. Then, it moves into a hallway where a group of men and women begin yelling at each other before a physical fight breaks out.
Their fight moved through the hallway, promoting screams from others in the crowded area, including children.
“In the background of the video’s audio, you can hear what appears to be children screaming and pleading for the parents to ‘stop,’” WREG reported.
For a moment, the fight appeared to die down, but then it began again. Participants could be seen with torn clothes near the very end of the video.
“The district is aware of an incident involving parents that occurred today at Faulk Elementary School,” said West Memphis School District Superintendent Eric Foister in a statement. “The safety and security of our students, staff, and school campuses remain our top priority. We have zero tolerance for any behavior – by parents, students, staff, or visitors – that disrupts the learning environment or threatens the wellbeing of anyone on school grounds.”
He added that: “Such actions are unacceptable and will not be tolerated. The district is fully cooperating with the West Memphis Police Department and will actively support efforts to prosecute those responsible to the fullest extent of the law. We are committed to maintaining a safe, respectful, and secure environment at all of our schools.”
According to WREG, the fight is now under investigation by authorities.
A special school board meeting was also called Thursday evening, per the school district.
Eric Thompson, a West Memphis resident, told WREG that he believes the fight could have a bad influence on children. Another local woman cited by the outlet agreed.
“It shouldn’t be happening around children, especially, and these are grown folks at a kids’ graduation. It shouldn’t be happening at all,” she said. “All of them need to be held accountable for it. Everybody who’s involved. That’s what I think about it.”