Chaotic brawl erupted at Paterson’s alternative education high school. What happened
PATERSON — A riot-like melee involving more than a dozen teenagers broke out in the cafeteria at Paterson’s alternative education high school on Tuesday and officials have imposed suspensions on an unspecified number of students.
A video of the chaotic brawls — at least three or four of them all going on at once — has been circulating in the Paterson community the past few days. The recording began after the fights were already in progress, amid screaming and shrieking.
The video showed one student climbing atop a lunch table and punching down at others standing on the floor. Security workers also hopped across the lunch tables to intervene.
“I’ve never seen anything like that in my years in the schools,” said John McEntee Jr., president of the Paterson teachers’ union, who has worked in the district for more than two decades. “I’m deeply concerned for the safety of our students and our staff. Something drastic needs to take place.”
The scene of the melee, Alonzo “Tambua” Moody Academy, is where Paterson sends students with behavior problems including those court-ordered by the juvenile justice system. The school enrolled about 110 students in 2022-23. In many ways, the school represents troubled teens’ last chance at staying in the district.
Zatiti Moody, son of the man whom the academy was named after, had been principal at the alternative high school for about five years, before he was transferred last summer. Moody had been moved after he defended one of his staff members who was fired for a physical confrontation with a student in spring 2023.
Nicole Payne, the sister of Donald Payne Jr., the congressman who died last month, is now the principal at Moody Academy.
“The altercation involved several girls, each of whom was suspended for ten days,” said district spokesman, Dan Juan. “No staff required medical treatment.”
Paterson Press asked why “several” students were suspended when the video showed a significant number involved in the fracas.
“A number of other students also received suspensions for other reasons, but those several girls that received the 10-day suspensions were the one’s directly involved in the altercation,” Juan said.
Several school board members said they had not seen the video.
McEntee noted that Moody Academy already has police officers working as part of its security detail. He said Superintendent Laurie Newell ought to revive the practice of expelling students.
“Otherwise, how are we going to protect and provide an education for the students who want to be there?” McEntee asked.
Joe Malinconico is editor of Paterson Press. Email: editor@patersonpress.com
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Moody Academy brawl ends in student suspensions
