Loudoun Co. middle school students host ‘fight clubs’ with help from parents

Matt Kaufax | matt.kaufax@wtop.com
Thomas Robertson | trobertson@wtop.com

May 25, 2023, 10:33 PM

A fight among students at Loudoun County, Virginia’s, Lunsford Middle School led administrators to the alarming discovery of elaborate fight clubs, some involving betting and tournament-style brackets, according to the school’s principal. ... In a message to parents, Lunsford Principal Carrie Simms said many parents were aware of their child’s participation in the fight clubs and hosted bouts in their garages or basements.

The fights spilled over to the hallways and bathrooms of Lunsford, Simms said, leading administrators to discover social media activity that revealed more information about the fight clubs.

“We cannot tell you how to parent, but when your children create TikToks and Instagram pages using Lunsford’s name and then attempt to hold these fights in our hallways and bathrooms, we will take action,” Simms said in her message.

The fighting prompted a “reset” last Friday morning. Students were not allowed 20 minutes of free time to walk around the school and socialize with friends.

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Matt Kaufax
A Northern Virginia native who grew up in Alexandria, Virginia, Matt is thrilled to be back home in the D.C. metro area covering news for a station he grew up listening to. Keeping the community he calls home informed about the day's events is something he considers an honor and privilege.

matt.kaufax@wtop.com

Thomas Robertson
Thomas Robertson is an Associate Producer and Web Writer/Editor at WTOP. After graduating in 2019 from James Madison University, Thomas moved away from Virginia for the first time in his life to cover the local government beat for a small daily newspaper in Zanesville, Ohio.

trobertson@wtop.com