Seven students at Blanche Ely High School in Pompano Beach found themselves coughing and gasping for air, leading to their hospitalization following an incident involving pepper spray today. An altercation between two female students, which initially took place off-campus the day before, spiraled into violence when one of the girls deployed the irritant in a common area within the school premises, according to NBC Miami.
As per reports, the disagreement that triggered the event had occurred yesterday at a neighborhood park despite the school's effort to provide a safe environment for its students, the conflict managed to make its way onto the school grounds the following day and although the seven students were hospitalized as a precaution, they were expected to recover without serious injury Dr. Howard Hepburn, Broward County Public Schools Superintendent, mentioned that there would be consequences for the student responsible for the pepper spray incidence, after the school underwent a brief lockdown due to a misstep by a visiting parent that raised additional concerns.
The response to the incident also included the involvement of the Broward Sheriff's Office, who after a preliminary investigation, did not find probable cause for charges against the student who used the pepper spray, as informed by Local 10 News. It was mentioned by Dr. Hepburn that students at the district schools are permitted to carry a "very small portion" of pepper spray for personal protection, but stressed that its use on campus is strictly prohibited.
