Fight at West Port High leaves principal injured, student arrested

File photo: Students leave West Port High School in Ocala, Fla. after the last bell on Wednesday, May 10, 2023. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2023.

An ongoing rivalry between students at West Port High School escalated into violence on Monday, causing the principal to sustain injuries, one student to be arrested and four students to receive citations.

Five female students, who have not been identified, were involved in a fight at about 1:05 p.m. at the Marion County high school. The school’s principal, Ginger Cruze, was injured while attempting to intervene.

“Ocala PD school resource officers at West Port High School responded to a fight on campus, leading to five female students being charged with disorderly conduct, with one additionally being charged with battery on a school official,” wrote OPD spokesperson Jeffrey Walczak.

For the four students who were issued civil citations, those citations may turn into physical arrests if they fail to comply with the conditions they agreed to, wrote Marion County Public Schools spokesperson Kevin Christian.

“Unfortunately, the principal was caught in the middle of the fight and was injured. She was treated and released from a local hospital,” Christian said.

Several deans were also involved in breaking up the fight, according to the citations.

The fifth student was physically arrested and charged with felony battery on a school official and was taken to the Department of Juvenile Justice facility in Marion County, Christian said.

Another fight between the students had previously occurred on Aug. 12, according to the citation.

Any actions that are of a nature to corrupt the public morals, that outrage the sense of public decency, that affect the peace and quiet of persons who may witness them, or actions of brawling or fighting are constituted as a breach of the peace or disorderly conduct, according to the citation.

“We want to make it clear that we will not tolerate such behavior within our schools. The safety of our students and staff remains our top priority, and we will continue to work with school officials and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office to maintain a safe learning environment for all,” Walczak said.