Overview
- The disturbance began during a Sept. 18 cafeteria fight at Lake Worth Community High School, where a school resource officer deployed pepper spray to break up the crowd.
- Palm Beach County Fire Rescue said 32 students and staff were transported to four hospitals, and another 10 to 12 were evaluated on campus.
- Officials reported no serious injuries and said most medical evaluations were for pepper spray effects such as watery eyes, coughing and breathing irritation.
- Principal Elena Villani said two students who started the altercation face criminal charges and three involved students have been removed as administrators review video for additional violations.
- Video and student accounts show widespread exposure in the cafeteria, while a retired deputy chief and a school resource officer association official described pepper spray as a standard crowd-control tool.