Staff at a high school in the US state of Texas had students settle their differences by fighting inside a steel cage, a local newspaper has reported. The Dallas Morning News says it has obtained a school board report that says two "cage fights" took place at South Oak Cliff High between 2003-2005. The 2008 report says the principal and other employees knew of the practice. No criminal charges were ever filed, and the principal at the time has denied any fights took place. Donald Moten, who retired as principal last year, told the Morning News: "That's barbaric... It never did happen. I never put a stop to anything because it never happened." 'Unacceptable' The alleged fights came to light during a grade-fixing investigation, after which the school was stripped of two basketball titles. In the report, a teacher was quoted as saying Mr Moten told a member of staff to put two fighting students "in the cage and let 'em duke it out". There was no mention in the report of whether anyone required medical attention or whether any employees were disciplined. I'm in shock and disbelief - shocked that this could ever occur and shocked that it would be condoned by a professional administrator

Jerome Garza

Dallas school board The paper said it was not clear from the report whether there were more than two fights in a steel mesh equipment cage in the boys' changing room. A district spokesman would not comment on the report to the newspaper. "I'm in shock and disbelief - shocked that this could ever occur and shocked that it would be condoned by a professional administrator," Jerome Garza, a member of the Dallas school board, told the newspaper. Superintendent Michael Hinojosa told the newspaper that there were "some things that happened inside of a cage" and called the fights "unacceptable". Angela Williamson, a parent, told the paper that she was ignored when she attempted to bring the matter to the attention of district administrators. She said her son, Cortland, told her that students stood around clapping and screaming while watching a fight he participated in. He and another student fought for 5-10 minutes in the cage in 2004, she said. Williamson said she took her son out of the school and moved to another district shortly after he came home with a swollen hand.



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