Student fight leads to safety concerns at high school in Montgomery County

COLLEGEVILLE, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- The Perkiomen Valley School District is taking heat from parents who are outraged over a school fight that left one student with multiple injuries.

The violent encounter happened on December 1, 2023, at Perkiomen Valley High School.

According to a GoFundMe set up for the victim, two girls punched and kicked the victim -- who was a sophomore at the school -- during a fight that broke out during lunch.

The attack allegedly left the victim with a concussion, sprained ankle, bruised ribs, a bruised back and welts on her body.

Action News is not identifying the teenage victim because she is a minor.

At a Perkiomen Valley School Board meeting on Monday, friends of the injured student said they had to witness the attack and struggled to find an adult or security guard who could help. They questioned whether the board was serious about student safety.

"Start with the kids. Start with the problem," one teary-eyed student said. "I had to watch my best friend be attacked and then I was running through the halls looking for someone to help me and there was no one around."

Perkiomen Valley School District Superintendent Dr. Barbara Russell told Action News the district was looking into the fight and was also cooperating with Pennsylvania State Police, who has jurisdiction in the area.

She added in a statement, "The Perkiomen Valley School District works diligently to nurture positive and safe school communities. Unfortunately, there was a physical altercation in our high school last week. The high school administration is taking the situation seriously and upholding the code of conduct to the fullest extent and working with law enforcement. There have been questions and concerns raised by community members in response to the altercation, however in an effort to avoid jeopardizing the investigation or violating anyone's confidentiality, the district cannot comment any further."

Action News has learned that the two students who were the alleged aggressors in last week's fight have been suspended for 10 days in accordance with district policy.

Parents like Meicha Moguche, who has a student in the district, questioned whether 10 days is enough punishment and if the district truly has student safety top of mind.

"I mean I think there is other remediation, but 10 days is not enough. Like are they sorry for their behavior? And what are the other consequences?" Moguche said.

Tammy Campli, a member of the Perkiomen Valley School Board, said the board needed to come up with more concrete policies to deal with instances of violence. She also said they needed to develop ways to identify issues with and between students before they escalated.

"What are some of the things we're looking for," Campli questioned. "What are some of the red flag signs?"

A GoFundMe set up to benefit the victim had nearly reached its $6,000 goal at the time of publication. The funds are expected to help the injured student pay for medical and legal expenses as she recovers from the assault she endured.