Charleroi Investigates ‘Fight Club’

CHARLEROI, Pa. — (WPXI) – The Charleroi Area School District is taking action after a fight club page was created on Instagram that showed underage students fighting. District officials said they are aware of the page and had Instagram remove the profile for violation of its community guidelines. Multiple videos were posted by the account showing middle and high school students fighting. The top of the account’s bio read, “Send me fight videos to post on this page and if you snitch you’re going to be on here.” Chuck Balieu, owner of Moke’s Martial Arts, is one of many people who alerted the district about this account. “We teach students that fighting is the last resort, and to see that being promoted on social media was very concerning,” said Balieu. “I think videos like this would promote bullying as more kids would see this and try to imitate the actions.” On Thursday, the solicitor for the school district told Channel 11 they figured out who created the account and had it removed. The district released the following statement:
“The Charleroi Area School District is aware of the Instagram page and has been proactively working since yesterday to investigate this matter and have Instagram remove the profile for violations of Instagram’s community guidelines. While the District cannot comment on specific student matters, we can assure parents, guardians, and students that appropriate steps have already been and will continue to be taken regarding this matter. Charleroi Area School District will always place the health, safety, and welfare of our school community at the forefront of every decision made.”