"30-Second Fights" could prove problematic for schools

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - "30 SECOND FIGHT" AT CAUSEY MIDDLE SCHOOL

It's a short fight. A scuffle in the bathroom of Causey Middle School, caught on a cell phone camera by another boy. For the mother of one of the boys involved, however, it's quite disturbing.

"I'm at work, and I send my kids to school to get an education, and I see a video where he's clearly being beat up," Kasey Favors said. "It hurts a mother's heart."

Favors said when she first heard her son was in a fight she was upset with him, but once she saw the video her mood changed. The video shows the woman's son fighting a larger boy in the bathroom while other boys stand around and cheer. The larger boy takes him to the ground and hits him several times in the side before the fight ends.

"My child had no idea we'd be able to get our hands on that video, and it backed up his story completely," she said.

His story was that he was confronted by a group of boys in the bathroom and challenged to fight. He told his mom he was outnumbered, and he felt he had no choice.

"He has no classes with any of them, and none of the kids that wrote statements are friends of his," Favors explained. "I feel like if he was a willing participant there would have been friends of his, along with the other students, not just the other student’s friends."

SOCIAL MEDIA "FAD"

So-called "30-second fights" are gaining popularity on the Internet. Kids take swings at one another for a short time, and it's recorded to post on social media sites like Facebook and YouTube.

Mobile County School Superintendent Martha Peek said, "They're sort of, I think, one of the fads right now that may be taking place on social media. And unfortunately, sometimes our students decide to copy or mimic and act it out at school."

Peek said the fight has changed monitoring at the school.

"By the end of the day at Causey Middle School, they've revamped their procedures to make sure there's somebody watching the students anytime that they're going into the restroom facilities," Peek said.

PUNISHMENT FOR ALL

Favors is thankful her son had no serious injuries, but she's upset he received an in-school suspension for the fight. Because of privacy laws, the school can't disclose the other boy’s punishments.