Brockton thrust into national spotlight over call to deploy National Guard at high school

BROCKTON — Brockton has been thrust into the national spotlight after four Brockton School Committee members set off a firestorm by requesting National Guard soldiers be deployed in Brockton High School to “prevent a potential tragedy.”

The request turned national attention inside Brockton High School, where many teachers have publicly described shocking levels of chaos and violence.

Coverage of the situation at Brockton High School has appeared in the past few days on NewsNation and in the Washington Post, the New York Post, and the Seattle Times.

One of the Brockton School Committee members behind the request, Tony Rodrigues, also appeared Wednesday night, Feb. 21, on Fox Business — a national network owned by Fox News — to discuss the potential causes behind the violence at the school.

And Fox News' Judge Jeanine Pirro on Wednesday night did a segment with a large graphic "America's Youth Crime Crisis" and a banner about Brockton: "Massachusetts School Calls in National Guard Amid Spike in Violence." The segment, which wasn't just focused on Brockton, included fight videos from other school districts.

Here’s everything you need to know about the request to deploy the National Guard at Brockton High School and the backlash:

'Prevent a potential tragedy'? Should National Guard be deployed at Brockton High School?

Tony Rodrigues appears on Fox Business

Tony Rodrigues, appeared on Fox Business’s "The Bottom Line with Dagen and Duffy" on Wednesday night, blaming the violence that has plagued the school on a lack of staffing.

“It’s chaotic. The deficit put a big hamper on us in making sure we have a safe learning environment with the teacher shortage that we have because of the massive layoffs that we dealt with last fiscal year,” he said.

In late August 2023, Mayor Robert Sullivan announced that the district discovered an initial $14 million deficit in fiscal year 2023. Since that time, the deficit has been revealed to be at least $18.25 million and possibly as much as $20 million.

For the teachers still employed at the high school, many have voiced concerns over not being able to do their jobs safely.

“It’s sad that we have educators that can’t go inside the building to give these students a proper education. We have 20-25 teachers that are calling out on a daily basis. That leaves roughly 800 students that are unsupervised in the building. We can’t continue to let it go this way,” said Rodrigues.

“When you have a lot of educators or staff not in the building, these kids are free to roam. What do you think these teenagers are going to do?” asked Rodrigues. “It’s a free for all.”

Request for National Guard assistance at Brockton High School

Four Brockton School Committee members — Rodrigues, Joyce Asack, Claudio Gomes and Ana Oliver — sent a letter to Sullivan last Thursday, Feb. 15, formally requesting that he ask Gov. Maura Healey to deploy Massachusetts National Guard soldiers at Brockton High School "to assist in restoring order, ensuring the safety of all individuals on the school premises, and implementing measures to address the root causes of the issues we are facing."

"Recent events at Brockton High School have prompted us to seek immediate assistance to prevent a potential tragedy," the letter from the school committee members states.

"The National Guard's expertise in crisis management and community support can offer a vital temporary intervention, allowing for a comprehensive, long-term solution to be developed in consultation with all relevant stakeholders," the letter states.

School committee members Kathleen Ehlers, Judy Sullivan, and Timothy Sullivan did not sign the letter sent to Sullivan, who serves as the chair of the school committee in his elected role as mayor.

Shocking levels of violence and chaos Emotional teachers describe life inside Brockton High School

'Violence, security concerns and substance abuse': Precipitating conditions at Brockton High School

The school committee members wrote in the letter to the mayor that there has been a "disturbing increase in incidents related to violence, security concerns, and substance abuse."

Other concerning conditions listed include students wandering the halls, engaging in altercations and causing disruptions in classrooms, students leaving school premises without authorization and incidents of trespassing, with individuals gaining access to the school property without proper authorization, the school committee members wrote.

Mayor opposes deploying National Guard

Sullivan does not support utilizing the National Guard at the high school, he said.

"While we appreciate the suggestions put forth by four school committee members, we believe that such measures are not appropriate," Sullivan said in a written statement Monday, Feb. 19.

"Under my direction and in response to these challenges, the police department, under Chief Brenda Perez, has been working diligently and actively with school administrators to address the underlying issues and implement effective strategies to ensure a safe learning environment for all. Our dedicated officers have been working tirelessly to investigate and respond to incidents promptly, and we will continue to do so until a satisfactory resolution is achieved."

Will the National Guard actually be deployed?

Mayor Robert Sullivan said Saturday that only the governor can deploy the National Guard and he forwarded the School Committee members' request to Healey. But the mayor does not support the use of the National Guard at Brockton High School, he said in the written statement from the mayor's office Saturday.

A spokesperson for the governor in a written statement to the Enterprise Monday did not directly respond to the question of whether the governor supports deploying the National Guard at the high school.

“Our administration is committed to ensuring that schools are safe and supportive environments for students, educators and staff. We are aware of concerns raised about Brockton High School and are in touch with local officials," the governor's spokesperson said.

No official school committee meeting has yet been scheduled to discuss deployment of the National Guard to Brockton High School, although the school committee members have requested an expedited meeting.

With reporting by Enterprise staff writers Kathy Bossa, Cody Shepherd and Alisha Saint-Ciel.

This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Massachusetts high school in spotlight after National Guard request