East Islip High School officials have suspended 14 students following a pair of brawls between white and Hispanic students Thursday.

Hispanic students involved in the fight say they are treated as second-class citizens by students, teachers, administrators and security guards who are blatantly racist. They say racial slurs were flying during the fights, even by white students not involved in the skirmishes.

East Islip High School was criticized following a 2003 fight between the two ethnic groups in which police were not notified for more than two hours after the incident. Police say the school let the alleged culprits leave following the fight. School officials released a statement saying they treat students as individuals and will continue to reinforce respect between racial and ethnic groups.