MPD responded to over 300 school fight calls so far this year; rise in school violence after COVID pandemic

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - Increased fighting in schools across America since the COVID-19 pandemic has parents so concerned they are transferring their children away from public schools or homeschooling.

Memphis Police have responded more than 300 times so far this year to various Memphis Shelby County schools, but Melrose High School had more incidents requiring police responses than any other.

High school senior Jordan Ward attended Melrose High when the school district reopened after the COVID-19 pandemic, but the violence he witnessed daily forced he and his dad to make a difficult decision: transfer out of Melrose and eventually out of public school altogether.

“It started to get out of hand,” he said. “I don’t know what happened. Brawls, all [types] of stuff just [started] happening. It started to get like dangerous, really. "

His dad graduated from Melrose and would often come up to the school where he, too, would witness fights between students.

“I was like, you know what? It’s no order over here, so I was like we going to have to leave,” said William Ward.

Memphis Police have responded to Melrose High more than any other school so far this year. We ran the addresses of every Memphis Shelby County School through the city’s public safety portal and found the police have been called to Melrose at least 17 times for reported assaults.

“The school is just a microcosm of the neighborhood in which they live,” said Denise Greene, President of the Melrose High School Alumni Association. “So it’s not Melrose High School, it’s not Shelby County Schools, it’s the home environment these kids were birthed. Our issue is if the parent is not being responsible what can we do?”

Memphis Shelby County Schools’ administration is trying to answer that question by investing in community programs that offer after-school internships, anger management classes, and other mental health services to students.

“Our whole approach is changing a negative behavior into a positive one, and all of these things help them do that,” said Carolyn Jackson, MSCS Chief of Safety and Security.

The school district has also invested $50 million into security upgrades like new surveillance cameras, metal detectors and school monitors who screen every student and visitor.

“We have really worked hard to ensure we can find those funds to put safety as a top priority for our students,” said Toni Williams, interim superintendent for Memphis Shelby County Schools.

“$50 million is a crazy number so clearly this is not only an issue you care about but this is a big issue in schools,” said The Investigators.

“So even though it sounds like a big number, the reality of it is our footprint is large to where we we have to ensure that we have technology that is in the 21st century,” said Williams.

“I will also say this: the safety and security of our students is priceless; there’s not a number on that,” said Chief Jackson.

A report presented to the Memphis Shelby County School Board last year showed more than 3,000 fights had been reported on school campuses between Aug 2022 and February 2023.

“For us, this is really a microcosm of the community. This is a community-wide issue,” said Superintendent Williams. “What we found is crime committed by youth during school hours is not really at the peak, is after school hours. We find that it peaks between 3:00 PM and 6:00 PM.

“So for me, leading as a Superintendent looking across all schools and our entire district, definitely wanna work and partner with our community, community leaders because this is not a Memphis, Shelby County Schools issue. It’s more or less a community issue and we definitely want to collaborate for the safety of our students after schools.”

Crime is up in Memphis this year and increased fighting has been reported by teachers nationwide. A poll conducted by the U.S. Department of Education found school fights increased 32% post-pandemic, and southern schools have seen a 56% increase.

Chief Jackson pointed to social media as the impetus behind the increase.

“We know that social media is one of the main factors that creates conflict in our schools and create fights because of the he-said she-said that’s on social media,” said Jackson. “The things that are said that are not true. So we’re looking at all of that and we’re looking at ways that we can give our students an opportunity to talk things out as opposed to fighting.”

But students are fighting.

We pulled dozens of police reports from Melrose High. One Thursday afternoon Memphis Police were called after school resource officers used a chemical agent to break up a fight.

Another report showed a parent came onto campus and flashed a handgun at two students who were arguing with her daughter.

After dismissal in October, a group of girls assaulted a teen whose mother reported to police that she “fears for her daughter’s safety and will be pulling her out of Melrose High School.”

“At the end of the day, all the resources – the security investments, the after school programs – you all are doing a lot and I want to recognize that,” the Investigators said Superintendent Williams and Chief Jackson. “But it is incidents like these that are concerning parents and they do get concerned about sending their children to school.”

Our interview was stopped at the scheduled time by the district’s communications director so we didn’t get their response.

William Ward doesn’t blame the school district but he did transfer his son, a football stand out, out of Memphis Shelby County Schools and into a private school in Cordova.

Jordan Ward was barred from playing football by the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA), which determines player eligibility.

The father-son duo eventually sued stating “the constant violence and lack of teachers” at Melrose shouldn’t keep Jordan from playing sports.

“I had to talk to him and say ‘I’m doing it for you to be able to do what you need to get out of Memphis,” said Ward.

Ward was eventually allowed to play at Fairley High School, where he is now, and has multiple offers to play football in college.

There have been no shootings in Memphis schools this school year and, according to the school district, fewer than 10% of Memphis students get into fights. But that minority is enough to disrupt class, trouble teachers, and concern parents, students, and alumni.

Memphis Police have responded to Hamilton High in South Memphis more than 20 times, and at least 13 were for assaults. Oakhaven Middle and High school, which share a campus, have had police respond more than 15 times and most of those were for fights

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