CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- Several students could face criminal charges after a fight erupted Wednesday inside James River High School.

CBS 6 obtained cell phone video taken when the fight broke out during lunch.

“It’s disturbing,” said Barry Farmer, when CBS 6 showed him the video.

Farmer has children who attend James River in Chesterfield County, and said he’s disappointed by what he saw.

“That’s definitely something I don’t want him to experience in high school, especially his first year,” he said.

Sources told CBS 6 Crime Insider Jon Burkett that the fight stemmed from racial tensions, and another concerned parent who didn’t want to be identified said this isn’t the first time a fight has broken out at the school.

She told CBS 6 she’s worried for her children’s safety.

After the fight, the principal sent a message to parents, telling them that several students are facing disciplinary action and legal consequences for their involvement in the altercation.

The message to parents also explains that the fight was related to incidents from a previous disagreement in the community that spilled into the school.

Farmer doesn’t know the details surrounding Tuesday’s fight, but he used to work as a behavioral counselor in Richmond Public Schools, where he had to break up many fights.

“It’s very dangerous to break up a fight like that with older kids, because you take the risk of being hurt, and you don’t want to be hurt on your job,” said Farmer.

To prevent these kinds of incidents, Farmer believes it starts at home.

“Make sure that our children know the values that we put forth and want them to do in the community and not cause a disturbance,” he said.

Chesterfield Police confirm there was an incident at the school and School Resource Officers are involved and investigating.