Is the National Guard the Answer for Brockton High School? This Injured Teacher Says NO

Earlier this week, various school committee members at Brockton High School were pondering the thought of calling in the National Guard. Why? Because for months and months, violence, sex and drugs have ramped up at BHS. The school, that has a population of close to 4,000 students, is gaining national attention because of the security risks. Teachers have been saying they no longer can do their jobs efficiently and something needs to be done.

In a story posted by Boston 25, a teacher named Cliff Canavan says he does not believe calling in the National Guard is the answer. Cliff suffered an injury back in 2022 when he tried to intervene in a fight. He described the incident that took place outside of Brockton High. Cliff has been teaching for 22 years and says over the past decade, things have gotten progressively worse at the school. But despite all of that, Canavan says the National Guard is not the answer for one simple reason. He doesn't understand what they would physically do. The way he describes it, he says they are soldiers not teachers.

He also believes the problem stems from a staff shortage. He also references the way students are disciplined needs to change. There also needs to be cameras in stairwells. While there seems to be no end in sight, it's obvious something needs to be done and it doesn't end at Brockton High School.

How bad is it really at Brockton High School? So bad that members of the Brockton School Committee have requested the assistance of the National Guard to help get control of the situation. According to committee members there has been a significant increase in fighting, substance abuse and security. It has gotten so bad, 35 teachers were recently absent.

“Our administration is committed to ensuring that schools are safe and supportive environments for students, educators and staff. We are aware of concerns raised about Brockton High School and are in touch with local officials." This statement came from a spokesperson for Governor Maura Healey.

However not all parents and committee members feel calling the National Guard is the right thing to do. Many believe if the Guard is called, kids will leave. Brockton Mayor Robert Sullivan released a statement about the growing concern. After stating he doesn't believe calling the National Guard is necessary, he offered a solution. He added: "Instead, we are committed to employing a collaborative approach that involves the entire community, including parents, students, educators, and law enforcement, to tackle these challenges head-on."

So how bad is it really inside Brockton High School? There have been countless videos added by students to the social media platform: TikTok. Many of these videos are taken down as soon as they're uploaded. However, we found some that are still floating around. Some of those videos are from Brockton School Committee meetings. Maybe seeing it for ourselves will get people to understand the severity of the situation.

In this video, students are seen dancing in the hallways. While it may seem innocent, this type of unruly activity is what sometimes can lead to violence. This video has 293 likes and 45 bookmarks.

In this video, the union President Stacy McDonald expresses frustration that nothing has been done to help them. She details incidents of teens smoking and nothing being done. She also details incidents of sexual activity in the stairwells with nothing being done.

According to Sherry, not only students are being hurt. Colleagues and even herself have been hurt. She describes incidents of multiple fights happening daily. During these fights, nurses are needed and teachers are also getting hurt.

Mara is a senior.  Mara expresses frustrations that their voices aren't being heard. She is calling for help from officials. Students as well as employees at the school are begging for help.

**NSFW** In this video, students are seen waiting in line to get into school. Allegedly, this video is the students waiting in line to go through metal detectors. The fact that it's the middle of winter and these students are freezing isn't a good thing.

Staff members are saying they can't trust higher officials. Students are getting no consequences for their actions. Teachers are suffering from mental health issues due to the constant incidents inside the school.

In this incident that took place months ago, students were fighting at the softball field. There was a stabbing between students. When the students were taken to Good Samaritan Medical Center, another stabbing occurred.