Parents headed to a Manhattan high school Wednesday afternoon seeking answers after a large fight outside school earlier in the week resulted in seven teens getting hurt, and two getting arrested, according to police.
But after leaving the emergency meeting at the City College Academy of the Arts, parents still weren't satisfied.
"They had us like chickens without a head, from one floor to the other floor to the other floor, just to get us tired, to see if we were going to leave," said parent Yulemny Colombo. "We stood together, that's what we're going to do."
Tension started building before the meeting even began, when parents arrived at the school to learn that officials were changing the format of the meeting to small group sessions, divided by grade. Parents said they wanted to be addressed all together in a meeting and be presented with a cohesive message about their children.
"I think that we should all be approached at one time, we should all say how we feel, and we should get answers to our questions because obviously something is happening and our eyes are closed," said Glieri Hernandez.
About 50 teens were involved in a fight outside the school near West 196th Street and Broadway Monday afternoon, though it's not clear how many of them were students at the school in Washington Heights, authorities said.
Seven teens between 16 and 18 years old were hurt in the brawl, according to police. Among the injured was a 17-year-old boy struck in the back of the head and another 17-year-old hit above the eye.
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Despite a strong police presence outside the school the following day, some parents kept their kids from school, telling NBC 4 New York they'd gotten no answers on what sparked the fight and whether the students could be exposed to the violence again.
"Everybody's scared, we don't know what happened," said one mother who wanted to remain anonymous. She said her son has been having anxiety since the fight.
"I don't know if I'm going to be sending him tomorrow to school because I'm really scared," she said.
Even after the emergency meeting Wednesday, Colombo said she wasn't satisfied.
"Why would you want to send your students to school where there's no safety? As parents, we're just going to be very concerned at home," she said.
In a new statement Wednesday, Department of Education spokeswoman Toya Holness said: "The school is providing ongoing supports to students and the principal is available to meet with families to ensure their concerns are being addressed. Nothing is more important than the safety of all students and staff."
