School Lunchroom Brawl Could Have Been Prevented, Parent Says

(CBS) -- Parents say it didn't have to happen: 18 students arrested and at least one student hurt in a lunchroom brawl.

One parent tells CBS 2's Dorothy Tucker he warned school officials about high tensions before they erupted.

Nikyra Frazier suffered bruises to the face during a lunchtime fight at Longwood Charter School.

"Somebody was stomping on my face," she says.

Frazier says she's a victim of bullying by a group of girls and that she's complained numerous times to school administrators.

"They said, 'Just deal with it.'"

Carter Frazier says he's not the only parent complaining and that his daughter is not the only student complaining. But nothing happened, he says.

But the fight caught everyone's attention. Frazier and 17 other students, mostly girls, were suspended and arrested. Police records show some were charged with battery and others disorderly conduct.

"The principal had all the kids arrested," Carter Frazier says, "because she says she was tired of dealing with it when she was never dealt with problem in the first place."

Frazier is angry his daughter now faces a misdemeanor and is out of school for 10 days.

"That's 10 days of education that 18 girls won't have, and we still don't have a solution," he says.

A spokesperson for Longwood Charter said this in a statement: "We can assure you that we have taken all appropriate actions to restore order and peace in our school."