School leaders at a Massachusetts high school are asking for the deployment of the National Guard to restore order as violence spirals out of control. 

“Over the past few months, our high school has experienced a disturbing increase in incidents related to violence, security concerns, and substance abuse,” a letter from four school committee members obtained by NewsCenter5 reads. “The situation has reached a critical point, more recently we had an alarming 35 teachers absent, underscoring the severity of the challenges we are facing.” 

The high school is located in Brockton, a suburb of Boston. The school committee members, citing their concern for the safety and wellbeing of their students, added that they are writing with the “utmost urgency” and that they are “seeking immediate assistance to prevent a potential tragedy.”

The school has an “alarmingly frequent” amount of class disruption and fights, the letter notes, adding that the instances are making it difficult to learn and are “jeopardizing the integrity of the state wide testing process.” 

“Over the past several weeks, there has been a noticeable increase in the number of students leaving the school premises without proper authorization,” the letter notes, adding that the absences are a direct result of a lack of proper staffing to monitor the premises. The school has also been experiencing issues with trespassing. 

The letter is addressed to Brockton’s mayor, Robert Sullivan, asking him to contact Governor Healey on the school’s behalf. Mayor Sullivan has said it is “not appropriate” to call in the National Guard. 

He’s not the only one who disagrees with the call for military assistance. “You’re going to go home and tell your mother or father G.I. Joe was in the classroom today? I mean come on,” the Brockton City Councilor at large, Winthrop Farwell Jr. said in an interview with NBC10 Boston, citing the need for more adjustment counselors and behavioral analysts.