What started as a reported fight at Friendship Collegiate Academy on Tuesday ended with several students getting checked out by emergency crews for burning eyes and scratchy throats. Firefighters and medics responded to the Northeast DC charter high school after an airborne irritant spread through part of the campus, prompting a call to 911 and a quick move to secure the scene.
Officers were dispatched to the school for a reported fight, according to WUSA9. School staff and first responders separated students involved in the altercation and began checking anyone who showed signs of irritation.
Firefighters Say Irritant May Be Pepper Spray
DC Fire and EMS told WUSA9 that crews were sent to the campus after multiple students reported symptoms from an airborne irritant that could be pepper spray, according to DCFEMS public information officer Vito Maggiolo.
About 10 students were treated or evaluated at the scene for eye and throat irritation, the department said.
Where This Happened
Friendship Collegiate Academy is a public charter high school located at 4095 Minnesota Avenue NE and serves students in grades 9 through 12, according to MySchoolDC. The school sits across from the Minnesota Avenue Metro station and is part of the Friendship Public Charter Schools network.
What Parents Should Expect
Parents are being advised to keep an eye out for official messages from the school or the Metropolitan Police Department for updates on student welfare, discipline tied to the reported fight, and any changes to campus operations.
Hoodline will update this story if officials release more information about medical transports, disciplinary actions, or the ongoing response.
