NEW ROCHELLE, NY — Last month, a 19-second video began circulating on social media depicting a violent melee in a middle school hallway in New Rochelle. At the tine, we reported there may be additional videos of the incident because the video showed other students recording the incident on their phones. One such video has now emerged, this one precisely one minute length, which shows much more of the fighting and assaults as well as the arrival of teachers and security staff who struggle to end the incident.
New Rochelle Police were called to Albert Leonard Middle School on Tuesday, February 15. A police department spokesperson declined to comment on the incident, but NRPD received at least one Assault complaint, according to police records seen by Talk of the Sound.
What appears to be more than a half-dozen Albert Leonard Middle School students — male and female— can be seen on the video wrestling, grabbing, punching, screaming, kicking, pulling hair, throwing other students to the ground, pinning them to the ground while other students stand over them, punching them.
As one student is thrown into a locker, another student grabs her assailant by the hair and yanks on it; the assailant is then hurled to the ground and briefly pinned to the floor by the first student, a girl.
Another student, a boy, can be seen, repeatedly throwing punches, looking for more victims, then attacking them, including attacking girls.
Numerous students, holding up their mobile phones, appear to be recording the violence unfolding in front of them.
School officials have declined to say whether any of the students seen assaulting other students in the video were disciplined.
Parents have reported their children coming home from ALMS talking about frequent violent incidents at the school, mostly incidents of student-on-student fights.
There have been a series of police incidents at the school since the start of the new year.
On January 12, police were called for a Dispute. On February 8, police were called for a Harassment complaint. On February 10, school officials reported finding one or more Swastikas at the school (a recurrence going back to the 2018-19 school year when 20 Swastikas were found at three schools over an 8-month period: New Rochelle High School, Isaac E. Young Middle School and New Rochelle High School). On February 15, police were called on the Assault complaint. On February 16, police were called on a Harassment complaint.
Police were called to the school again on March 18 on a report of a Harassment complaint.
Albert Leonard Middle School is not alone. There have been a series of violent incidents at Isaac E. Young Middle School and New Rochelle High School.
A student-led walkout resulted in more than a dozen physical altercations, two students injured including one with an eye injury after a student threw rubbing alcohol in their face. The police reported two assaults and made one arrest for assault. They are looking for a second suspect in another assault.
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Over the past four years, students, and staff from the public schools have attracted national attention to New Rochelle as an increasingly dangerous place: stabbings, student-on-student rapes, teacher-on-student rapes, shootings, arson, assaults, weapons possession, and gang activity have become the norm. So much so that last month, after a 16-year-old boy used a “ghost gun” pistol to shoot and kill a fellow high school student on a street corner two blocks from an elementary school, there was no police briefing, no school press conference and little media coverage.
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Albert Leonard Middle School started the school year with new leadership after first-time Principal Camille Edwards-Thomas replaced longtime Principal John Barnes last summer.
There are reports of staff attendance issues at buildings throughout the District, including Albert Leonard Middle School — up to 20 staff members including security staff absent at ALMS on a given day for a variety of reasons.
Classes are being cancelled due to a shortage of substitute teachers, sources say. As a result, students are sent to the cafeteria or auditorium, not getting “seat time” or services.
New Rochelle Schools Superintendent Jonathan P. Raymond declined to comment on any of the police incidents at Albert Leonard Middle School or the issue of chronic staff absences. New Rochelle Board of Education President Julia Muggia-Ochs and ALMS Principal Camille Edwards-Thomas were copied on an email asking questions about issues at the school.
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My son was assaulted at IEY and the response was lukewarm to the say the least not pleased
Did you go to the police?
My daughter was a victim at that issac school, I called police. Still got my police report number. Principal didn’t like that cause it caused attention.they refused to make that school safe. It’s over populated. Kids do what they want no consequences.
Date on blue card?
The idea of some of what is going on with violence in New Rochelle schools is somehow normal or acceptable or just like the old days is to ignore an inconvenient fact.
Unlike “the old days” and unlike every other school district in New York State we have had two students murdered by other students in four years.
There is something VERY wrong with New Rochelle and its not because of cell phone video.
What do you suggest?
Houston we have a problem. What we have here is a failure to communicate.