Connetquot school officials are trying to calm a community rattled by an off-campus brawl involving nearly a dozen students.
As News 12 has reported, two groups of students were involved in a fight Saturday, leaving 15-year-old Nicholas Abrahamsen in the hospital with a broken jaw. He has since been released from the hospital.
Tuesday night, family and friends of students on both sides of the fight made claims to the board that their loved ones have been subjected to "bullying" for months.
Both sides blamed the school district for not stepping in to stop the brewing tensions that some call racially charged.
After parents expressed their concern, the school board announced that it would create a special task force to deal with bullying and conflict resolution. The district has already announced that all students involved in the brawl are suspended. Students are also subject to ongoing searches when entering school.
Detectives at the meeting asked the community to help further identify students involved in the fight. No charges have been filed, as police say the investigation into the incident is ongoing.