An uptick in fights at a Pembroke Pines middle school has prompted a mother to pull her child out of the school for fear of his safety.
The mother, who wanted to remain anonymous, showed NBC 6 videos of recent fights among students at Walter C. Young Middle School.
"I no longer feel safe sending my son there. That’s why I took him out," she said.
"It’s not a safe environment for children."
But she didn’t get scared until Wednesday when she and other parents got an email from the principal, saying in part, “We recently became aware of a social media threat referencing our school. We have followed all the proper safety and security protocols in notifying the school district and local law enforcement.”
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The mother believes the district needs to do more.
"When are they going to act when something horrible happens, like a fatality?" she said.
Her son also told her about an "out of control" fight that happened recently at the school's gym.
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"Seventh graders were choking sixth graders, drowning them underneath the sinks," she said.
Pembroke Pines Police told NBC 6 in a statement that they were aware of the fights at Walter C. Young.
"Our agency is aware of fights that have occurred at Walter C. Young Middle School, specifically during and after dismissal times. We have been working with school administration to address these issues, which has included assigning additional road patrol officers to the school during dismissal. There have been no arrests."
NBC 6 also reached out for a response from the school district.
