Blue City School Asks Governor To Send In National Guard To Tame Student Violence, Drug Use

Officials at a high school near Boston have asked Democratic Gov. Maura Healey of Massachusetts to send the National Guard to address increasing violence and drug use, according to a letter.

A majority of the Brockton School Committee asked for the support, citing security concerns stemming from verbal abuse of staff, drug use and fighting in the hallways, The Associated Press reported. Brockton Mayor Robert Sullivan forwarded the request to Healey in his capacity as chairman of the committee.

“Over the past few months, our high school has experienced a disturbing increase in incidents related to violence, security concerns, and substance abuse,” committee members Claudio Gomes, Ana Oliver, Tony Rodrigues and Joyce Asack wrote in a letter making the request for the National Guard to step in. “The situation has reached a critical point, more recently we had an alarming 35 teachers absent, underscoring the severity of the challenges we are facing.”