Food Fight, Fire Alarm Pull Puts West Springfield Senior Events on Hold

Senior events at West Springfield High School have been put on hold until an investigation into Thursday's food fight has been completed.

The food fight, a senior prank which was reportedly planned by students on Facebook beforehand, occurred during C Lunch and according to a letter sent out to parents by Principal Paul Wardinski, resulted in a few minor injuries. A fire alarm was also pulled during the incident.

The principal declared that all senior events, including the June 17 prom and the senior trip to Hershey Park, are on hold until the investigation is completed.

"This is a very serious matter and senior pranks will not be tolerated in our building," Wardinski said.

Wardinski met with parents Friday afternoon to discuss the incident. A Fairfax County spokesman said that the earliest that a decision will be made about the senior events will be Monday.

This letter was sent out to parents and guardians of West Springfield High School on Thursday, May 12 at 3:47 p.m.

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Shortly after 1:00 pm today, a major disturbance was initiated in our school’s cafeteria.  A significant food fight was started by a group of senior students which escalated into involving groups of students from all grade levels in the cafeteria during C lunch.  There were a few minor injuries resulting from this incident. Simultaneously, someone pulled a fire alarm disrupting our educational process for a period of time this afternoon.

At this time, ALL senior activities including the senior picnic, senior trip to Hershey Park and the Senior Prom are on hold until we complete our investigation of the incidents today.  All students involved are facing consequences from the school and some may also face criminal charges from Fairfax County Police.  School Resource Officer Plazio is leading our investigation in this matter.  This is a very serious matter and senior pranks will not be tolerated in our building.

The West Springfield High School Administration is committed to providing a safe environment for all students and staff.  Please have a conversation with your children tonight about their role in maintaining a safe environment at school. We are thankful that the majority of the students did not participate in this incident.  Again, our number one priority is the safety and security of the students and staff while they are at school.

If you have any questions, please contact your student’s grade level administrator or me at (703) 913-3800.

Sincerely,

Paul A. Wardinski
Principal