much ado about nothing. Boys have been scraping since beginningless time. Get over it. The fact that it is a major news event blows my mind. To me that just does MORE damage. More extreme forms of violence are done verbally in school every day...this scrap is tinker toys.
And for you idiots who say "where were the teachers" or "where were the administrators?" There are nearly 2000 kids at this school. To monitor everyone's behavior at all times is ludicrious, If that be the case, there would be no crime...as in "where were the police?"

Jen Chung: "Why should kids think it's right to encourage or watch it?" How about taking a look at the society these kids grow up in? Violence is entertainment, not sure what rock you've been hiding under. Encouraging violence is the American Way. Watching violence is as old as the hills.

The kids had a few options: 1) Watch (as they did) 2) Try to break it up (possible get their asses kicked, then also suspended) 3) Rat on the kids fighting to a teacher (Invite mockery, possible beat down). Not a clear cut situation, and not an easy choice for kids at that age.

Yes, violence is part of our culture. Is that okay? This school clearly had a POV on that, and that's why they had students sign a code of conduct that requires them to report violence. And, no, it's never an easy choice, especially when they are trying to survive the bizarro world of high school. But at some point, they have to start making tough choices—that includes whether or not they want to be party to violence.

thank the TV for that shit.

okay to show violence, its normal, and people are desensitized.

do _NOT_ under any circumstances show a womans nude breast, as that will have grave societal implications.

Oh and duh, how did we all miss the parallel to Seinfeld's last episode?

I don't get it, isn't the reaction of some of the kids the norm for any grade school? It's just that before the ubiquity of cameras it was rarely recorded. As long as there are school yards there will always be fights. And where there are fights there will always be a circle of kids chanting nonsense like "fight! fight! fight! fight!". Sometimes there's a kid that will run and get a teacher, but most of the time the fighting kids knock each other around for a bit, it gets broken up either by pals or they're just too tired and stop, and eventually they all go get drunk on Four Loko (...or Zima...or wine coolers...) at the park.

we used to gather around for the rumored fight in the parking lot at school too. everyone did. the difference is that we didn't have cellphones w/ video recorders on them.

whoa, your second paragraph is looney!

The big thing here is that the kids violated the school's code of conduct. And I don't think it's a matter of wanting witnesses punished for things they don't do—it's more that it's a depressing testament to to society today that people don't feel any responsibility for a communal good. No, it's not the job of the students to break up fights, but they could get an adult or leave. Why should kids think it's right to encourage or watch it? Should they continue to stand by the next time they see something much worse happen?

Obviously people can't be Good Samaritans all the time—but do they have to constantly look away? But I'm probably a horrible busybody because I'm the person who calls 311 about a homeless person who looks ill on the street and I'm the person who asks other shopkeepers if they know who the elderly woman walking around in her nightgown in 30 degree weather is.

Violating a school's "code of conduct" is really only a fancy way for the school to say they disapprove. That's fine and I too think this is an indictment on modern society. But before we equate this with watching a homeless man die, let's not forget there's a difference between what people "should" do and what people are "required" to do.

The reality is that most laws and regs touch on affirmative misconduct, not omissions or failures to act. The latter are almost exclusively situations where someone has a reason to do something beyond merely being a witness (i.e. parent/child, lawyer/client). If these kids were sued or charged, they wouldn't be liable because they didn't do anything and they didn't have a duty to do anything either. They're guilty of literally nothing, legally speaking. And if the school is going to hide behind a policy like this, at the very least they could attempt to conform it to the laws that otherwise exist because there are very, very good reasons for those laws in the first place.

In this case, fear of reprisal for reporting it is a legitimate concern. And yes, it sucks that they're cheering this on, but I'm not about to make them complicit in this fight merely because I think they're acting like jerks.

"But I'm probably a horrible busybody because I'm the person who calls 311 about a homeless person who looks ill on the street and I'm the person who asks other shopkeepers if they know who the elderly woman walking around in her nightgown in 30 degree weather is."

If you are doing exactly what you are saying then you are just another no-good-do-gooder in this city who thinks they are doing the right thing by calling 311/911 on a homeless person sleeping on the curb. Jen, you really need to get off your moral high horse. How about instead of wasting emergency service resources, you go up to this homeless person and ASK if he is alright before you just immediately pull out your Blackberry and call 911 (by the way, calling 311 for "a homeless person that appears ill, gets sent to the 911 dispatcher and sends an ambulance so don't hide behind the fact that you "didn't call an emergency line")?

I cannot tell you how many times some idiot calls 911 for a homeless person that is on the ground and the job comes in as an "unconscious" or "cardiac arrest" because the caller couldn't just go up to the person and see if he actually needed help or he was just sleeping. The 911 call-taker asks "is the patient awake and breathing?" and the caller responds "I'm not sure." You have just done an incredible disservice to the city. You just wasted an ambulance (2 ambulances if it is put in as a cardiac arrest), a fire engine, and a police car all because you couldn't just go ask the guy if he was alright. If it turns out that it was legitimate and that you went up to this person and tapped them on the shoulder and they really didn't respond or it was obvious that he was not breathing, then you have done your job as a good samaritan and God bless you.

I am so sick of getting on scene of one of these jobs and someone coming up to us and screaming like a hero "I called! I called! He's just laying there and doesn't look like he's breathing or conscious." I then go up to him and tap him on the shoulder and ask "Sir, are you alright?" and immediately get a response. 99 times out of 100 jobs that we get for an "unconscious male on street unknown breathing" is a person SLEEPING. So please: don't just call 911 for someone you don't know anything about and just either LEAVE before an ambulance gets there or wait and pretend like you have just helped someone when you couldn't even have the DECENCY to go up to the gentleman and simply ask ONE question to him.

Oh and by the way, the elderly woman walking around in her nightgown in 30 degree weather does not need you to ask some random shopkeeper if they know who she is. You can have enough common sense on that one to call 911 for her.

Give me your phone number so I can be sure to call you when I'm trying to decide whether to call 311. In one instance, 311 said they would tell the homeless services van to stop by and check out the person.

In other instance, a man who I think had just come from the methadone clinic was sort of in a trance, faltering and wavering as he walked, outside my office building; I tried asking if he was okay, but he was unresponsive. I didn't have my phone, so I went back to the office and called 311, and they recommended putting me through to 911; I told the 911 dispatcher that the man wasn't in immediate danger, and she said that if there was a van in the area, they'd swing by and check on him.

As for the elderly woman, one shopkeeper knew her and got a hold of her caretaker.

I didn't ask you to seek expert consultation about whether or not to dial 911, Jen. I also apologize if my post came off as condescending. I was more speaking out of frustration and I really did not mean to lash out at anyone or you, specifically. If you feel that you need to call 911 for the gentleman (or anyone for that matter, coming from anywhere) coming from the methadone clinic, then you absolutely should. I was only implying that it frustrates me that people call 911 with extremely poor and irresponsible information that could easily become helpful if they just went the extra step and asked someone if they were alright before activating an emergency response. You clearly demonstrated that you wholeheartedly attempted to do that by asking if he was alright. The gentleman was walking unsteadily and was a potential danger to himself and others (i.e. stumbling into the street and causing a motor vehicle accident, falling and hitting his head on the sidewalk, becoming violent, etc.). You did the right thing in that case of calling 911. I personally wouldn't even bother with 311. They aren't trained medical professionals and more often than not refer you to a 911-call taker who sends an ambulance or to the DHS van.
By the way I have not had a very great experience with the DHS guys. They are some nice guys but for the most part they are very rude to the homeless and act unprofessionally in my many, many, many trips to the local men's shelters around Brooklyn. We actually responded to a street corner where one of these DHS guys called an ambulance for an "intoxicated homeless male." When we arrived the DHS guys were laughing and kicking the guy lightly with their boots to try to get him up. When we asked them what was going on they simply said, "oh he's just drunk and is refusing to get up." It took us about five seconds to realize that not only was he not drunk but he had been dead for probably several hours. They didn't even seem phased or embarrassed at the fact that they had just made such an error and basically said, "well, one less for us to pick up," and got in their van and drove away while we stayed with him and waited for the NYPD.

Maybe one of these kids will grow up to be an upstanding citizen like Charles Rangel

Maybe they didn't have "vicious brawls" at the boarding schools where the school admins went.

So that means everyone should be punished for not being a good Samaritan?

wow JDS, i can't believe you stupidly agree with the prinicpal that witnesses should be punished for crimes committed by others? To be fair, Del Signore is probably just another dumb desensitized blogger who doesn't represent new yorkers. they are students, it is not their job nor their responsibility to break up fights. that job belongs to the adults that are being paid to do so. those are the ones who should be punished. where were they when this fight was taking place?

A new low for you, JDS. Calling a teen dumb just to make your half-hearted attempt at a post look insightful. Comparing this to people ignoring a dying homeless person is just crass.