desoto isd

DeSoto ISD Reviews Altercation Caught on Camera Between Security, Students

Video shows campus security shooting pepper ball pellets at students during a fight in a high school cafeteria

NBCUniversal, Inc.

Troubling video is at the heart of a DeSoto Independent School District investigation after district personnel says one member of a security team fired pepper-ball pellets at students. The district said it started at DeSoto High School with a fight in the cafeteria and escalated.

A viewer sent NBC 5 video from a mobile phone they said was taken Friday and showed campus security using pepper spray on students. Similar videos spread quickly across several social media platforms, raising questions about the altercation and how it was handled.

“What you saw in the video was a pepper spray device. Those are allowable. There are certain restrictions about how they can be used. We were in alignment with the permitted use of those,” said Tiffanie Blackmon-Jones, DeSoto ISD media spokesperson.

Blackmon-Jones said the district will revisit and review policies with security staff, but said the guard seen in the video followed protocol by not using the pepper spray device as a first resort.

“There were several opportunities and instances in which the security guard in question made several directives asking the kids to comply,” she said.

NBC 5 reached out to the viewer who shared the video and has not received a response. The district would not say whether disciplinary action was taken against the security staff or students.

DeSoto ISD shared a statement acknowledging the video of Friday’s incident.

The statement reads:

Students, as adolescents, are learning and developing every day and this includes their ability to appropriately resolve conflict and communicate which resulted in a small group of students making the choice to engage in an altercation. As a school system, we will utilize this experience and create a teachable moment for our students in which we can help them understand alternatives to conflict resolution that do not result in the type of activity we saw on Friday afternoon.

Realities made clear in this incident include the need for strong, invested educators who have the ability to connect with students; the importance and validity of access to social-emotional learning and restorative practices; and the impact of parent and community engagement in positively supporting our students as evidenced in the positive outcomes resulting from the district's All-Pro Dads programs and the DeSoto High School Dadson Duty program which encourage the presence and participation of district fathers and father figures to mentor, support and engage with students to deepen their investment in their learning experiences.

Despite these realities, we want to reiterate that the actions of a few are not reflective of the overall character and quality of our student body who continue to make great strides and succeed as evidenced by the district's improved Texas Education Agency accountability rating, high performing and highly decorated arts program and competitive athletics teams.

We are aware that a video has been circulating of an incident involving a security person last week. The footage is concerning and does not align with the district's expectations for the address of student activity. The district is in the process of addressing the matter and is limited in what it can offer regarding resolution due to personnel privacy laws. As a result, the district has issued a communication to parents and staff regarding the matter and is working with administrators to address the matter with staff via training and education. 

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