ORANGE PARK, Fla. – Clay County District Schools and the Clay County Sheriff’s Office have launched a formal investigation into a physical altercation between a staff member and a student at Orange Park High School that occurred on Tuesday.
The incident has sparked alarm among parents after a video of the confrontation began circulating on social media. While news outlets, including News4JAX, have received copies of the footage, they have chosen not to publish the video at this time. The brief clip appears to show a staff member positioned on top of a student lying on their back, with the employee’s hands directed toward the student’s head and neck area. Following the physical engagement, the staff member is seen pointing and ordering nearby students to retreat.
Orange Park High School Principal Nate Warmouth addressed the situation in a robocall sent to families at 2:46 p.m. on Tuesday. In the message, Warmouth acknowledged the “isolated incident” and the subsequent spread of rumors and videos online.
“I want to make you aware of an isolated incident that occurred on our campus today involving a confrontation between a student and a staff member,” Warmouth said in the statement. “Please be assured that our school day continued safely, and the safety and well-being of our students and staff remain our absolute highest priority.”
The Clay County School District confirmed that the Human Resources Department is conducting an internal review in coordination with the Clay County Sheriff’s Office. Due to the active nature of the investigation, the district has stated it cannot provide further comments regarding the specific circumstances leading up to the encounter or the identity of the parties involved.
The footage has prompted intense reactions from the school community. Alexis Morgan, whose son is an 11th grader at the school, expressed deep concern after viewing the video. While she noted that her past experiences with the school have been generally positive, she described this specific incident as “frightening and alarming.”
“It’s very frightening and alarming to know that there are people like this working at our schools with our children,” Morgan said. “I can tell by [the look] in the video that he was scared. He’s a child. He’s not a grown man, and there’s a grown man on top of him.”
Clay County Sheriff Michelle Cook confirmed that she has been briefed on the altercation. The Sheriff’s Office indicated that more information will be released once the investigation concludes.
For now, officials are urging parents to rely on official district communication while the administrative and law enforcement reviews proceed. No further details regarding the status of the staff member involved or the condition of the student have been released.
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