Breaking up fights

When arguments between students escalate and erupt into fights, school staff must know how to intervene to stop them and deal with the aggressive students. Nea.org offers the following guidelines:

* Never ignore aggression, because it can quickly grow into violent behavior.
* Go toward the scene of violence, because the presence of an adult can stop the activity.
* Quickly review the situation to determine what has happened, who is there and what will happen.
* Look to see if there are any weapons present.
* In a strong voice, tell students to stop.
* Tell onlookers to leave the area.
* Never get between students who are fighting.
* After the incident, document what happened.
* Support the victims in any way you can and get them the help they need.