Staged student fight escalates outside Marcus Pool

Horseplay by two Yuma Elementary School District 1 students escalated into unintended consequences as a staged fighting contest turned into malice between the opponents recently.

The two unidentified students were at the park outside of Marcus Pool during after-school hours on Oct. 22, when they staged a mock fight between themselves and asked a third friend to video the scene, said Darwin Stiffler, District 1 superintendent. The students attend Fourth Avenue Junior High School.

The staged fight between two female students was recorded by cell phone by a third friend with the intention to share the occurrence with their friends, Stiffler said. But the roughhousing went further than either participant expected. Later one of the participants was reportedly feeling sore but did not require any medical attention, he noted.

The parents of both students were notified but Stiffler declined to publicly discuss the details of any disciplinary considerations for the district's students. The issue has now been resolved, he said.

---

William Roller can be reached at wroller@yumasun.com or 539-6858.