Twitter account glorifying Neptune students fights shut down

NEPTUNE, New Jersey (WABC) -- A school in New Jersey is taking action to shut down a Twitter account that glorifies fighting.

It appears to some that the fights involve students at Neptune High School, and police are now investigating. They are not believed to be recent incidents, but they exemplify the problem of students who take out their cell phones instead of getting help when a fight erupts.

Kids reportedly use the slang term "wilding" to describe the vicious altercations. But their actions, students say, are not representative of most who attend Neptune High.

District officials say they have fights to deal with when they happen, but that the kind of hostility featured in the videos has not infected the school and is dealt with swiftly by local police.

Neptune Township School Superintendent Dr. Tami Crader said administrators are trying to foster growth for students to rise above such incidents at school or anywhere else.

"We're reaching out to enlist the support of parents and students, giving them a voice in this, saying for the large part of our students, there are no problems," she said. "And you, the large majority of students who come to school every day and do what you're supposed to do, making sure that you are being polite and friendly and supportive of your classmates, you need to step up. And you need to marginalize those who are not."

Police pulled down the account, and Dr. Crader released the following statement to Eyewitness News:

"Many of these videos are recordings of fights that have taken place in the last couple years either in and around school or in the community. The students involved were disciplined and counseled. I find the fights themselves and the subsequent tweeting of the recordings very disturbing.

"Violence and the promotion of violence through social media is never appropriate. We take the issue seriously. I have reported the account to Twitter and am currently working with the High School Administration and NTPD to develop a short-term and long-term plan.

"The safety and security of our students is our primary concern and we look to parents, teachers, and community members for support in discouraging our students from taking part in any of the behaviors we've seen in the videos as the behaviors will not be tolerated in our schools.

"Neptune High School is a safe place for students. Those few students who engage in fighting, who cause fights, and/or create social media venues for gaining notoriety from fighting will receive serious and swift consequences. We will work to implement a proactive and positive school climate program, monitor the placement of those students who are repeat offenders, and ensure that the hallways and campus are supervised.

"Parents and the community should be assured that we are working hard to provide a safe and productive environment for students. The large majority of our students are well-behaved, polite, and cooperative. They, too, will be enlisted to marginalize those students who detract from the overall safety of our school."