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Pea Ridge Superintendent & Parents Speak Out After Video Of Violent Off-Campus Fight Goes Viral

PEA RIDGE (KFSM) — A fight showing students from Pea Ridge punching and kicking a classmate off-campus has gone viral on Facebook. Now, eight students inv...

PEA RIDGE (KFSM) -- A fight showing students from Pea Ridge punching and kicking a classmate off-campus has gone viral on Facebook.

Now, eight students involved in the fight are facing criminal charges.

Brenda Flanagan, a parent and longtime Pea Ridge resident, says she was in shock when seeing the video.

"It was disappointing," she said as she watched the drama unfold.

After hundreds of shares, a number of comments from outraged parents started to pour in. Many demanding the school do something about the off-campus incident.

"I did read all the Facebook comments and I felt sad, I felt disappointed, I felt angry. This is not a reflection of Pea Ridge," said Flanagan.

In a response to the fight, Pea Ridge Schools Superintendent Rick Neal posted a video response on the district's Facebook page.

"School safety is our prime concern at Pea Ridge Public Schools," Neal said. Then he addressed the fight, "Unfortunately this off-campus incident has pushed this into the flow of conversation."

Later he explained because the fight took place off school grounds, there isn't much the school can do.

However, he did say he plans to make certain the school district is being proactive.

"We have other pieces in places such as a mental health and behavioral therapist."

Most importantly, Neal said his main concern is moving the conversation off of Facebook and into his office, "We need everybody's help to be supportive of the work that we're doing,".

Especially since none of the parents of students seen in this video have called to complain about the fight.

Moving forward the superintendent is also looking at adding focus groups throughout the school district to discuss bullying at all age levels.

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