On Friday afternoon, a brutal fight broke out at Central High School in Capitol Heights, Maryland. The brawl, which was recorded on the cellphone of another student, sent three students to the hospital. Afterward, several school administrators claimed the fight was “racially motivated” while students denied those allegations. 

The scuffle broke out in the lunchroom and involved many students attacking each other. As the fight takes place, at least three adults present in the school attempted to step in.

Baltimore FOX 5 reported that Raven Hill, a spokesperson for the Prince George's County Public Schools, indicated that a group of African-American students instigated the attack against Hispanic students.

Hill stated the principal is "developing a plan of action that addresses students and parents' safety concerns and encourages students to celebrate cultural differences in the wake of this incident."

Hill also said that the school principal is working with the district’s diversity officer to bring students together, address safety concerns and celebrate cultural differences.

However, several students suggested they don’t believe there is a racial divide at their school and that the fight began because there were other issues at play.

Was this a case where administrators were unfamiliar with the complexities of high school drama and used the obvious racial differences of the participants to create a storyline?

The “other issues” have not yet been expounded upon, so as the story stands, the fight could have been a result of racial differences. However, if race was not a motivating factor in the brawl, then one can hope that the school takes an active role in understanding youth violence and high school culture in general as a way to mediate this situation.

No arrests have been made but several students alleged that the school expelled two aggressors of the fight.