Troubled students forced to fight in cage at Dallas school

Workers at a Dallas, Texas high school staged cage fights among troubled students, making them settle their differences with bare-knuckled brawls in a steel utility cage inside a boys' locker room, school district documents show.

The principal and other employees at South Oak Cliff High "knew of the practice, allowed it to go on for a time, and failed to report it," according to a 2008 report from the Dallas school district's Office of Professional Responsibility.

The documents were obtained by The Dallas Morning News for a story in its Thursday editions.

The report describes two instances of cage fighting between 2003 and 2005.

Dallas schools Superintendent Michael Hinojosa confirmed that there were "some things that happened inside of a cage" and called the fights "unacceptable."

No criminal charged have been filed in the case.

Former principal Donald Moten denied the allegations, saying he had nothing to comment on because the fights never happened.

"That's barbaric. You can't do that at a high school. You can't do that anywhere," said Moten, who resigned in 2008. "Ain't nothing to comment on. It never did happen. I never put a stop to anything because it never happened."

But a middle school counsellor who was fired from the high school and has filed a whistleblower lawsuit said Moten and members of the school's security staff encouraged the fights.

"It was gladiator-style entertainment for the staff," said former South Oak Cliff employee Frank Hammond. "They were taking these boys downstairs to fight. And it was sanctioned by the principal and security."

A district spokesman declined additional comment Thursday.

"This is a personnel matter and we're not authorized to talk about personnel," spokesman Jon Dahlander told The Associated Press.

The report said Hammond didn't see any of the fights. Hall monitor Gary King told investigators he witnessed the head of campus security and an assistant basketball coach place two students in the cage to fight.

District investigators described the cage as an equipment area in the boys' locker room separated by metal lockers and wire mesh.

In one incident, a security monitor tried to fight a student in the cage, but Moten broke up that fight. In another incident, Moten told security personnel to put two fighting students "in the cage and let 'em duke it out," according to the report.

The district's report is dated March 17, 2008, and emerged from an investigation into grade-changing allegations that eventually cost South Oak Cliff its 2006 state basketball championship.

Last month, the University Interscholastic League stripped the school of its 2005 title as well because the team used academically ineligible players.

In 2006, Moten accused Hammond of changing a student's grade, and the district placed Hammond on administrative leave. Although an appeals judge reinstated him, he was later fired.

Hockey player dies from fight-related injury

A fight-related injury has cost a 21-year-old senior hockey league player his life.

Don Sanderson, a defenceman for the Whitby Dunlops of the O.H.A. (Ontario Hockey Association), died in Hamilton General Hospital early Friday. The news was reported on the Whitby, Ont., team's website.

Sanderson had been in a coma since Dec. 14, as a result of his involvement in a fight during an Ontario Hockey Association senior game against the Brantford Blast.

Sanderson was fighting forward Corey Fulton during the third period and his helmet came off during the confrontation. Near the end of the tussle, both players fell and Sanderson's unprotected head hit the ice.

Sanderson was out cold on the ice for about 30 seconds, before briefly regaining consciousness. He eventually fell into a coma and was was placed on life support.

Dunlops president Steve Cardwell says the fight wasn't that rough.

"It didn't look like it was as bad as obviously this has turned out to be," he said. "At the time, it looked like so many other fights that anybody connected with hockey would have watched over the last number of years."

Cardwell thinks there needs to be a dialogue on the bigger issues surrounding Sanderson's death.

"Any time a tragedy like this happens — and it could have been prevented by a number of rule changes, or the way helmets are made, or the way that they work — that debate needs to happen," he said.

Team dedicates season to player

Sanderson, a native of Port Perry, Ont., attended York University. He had also played in the Ontario Provincial Junior Hockey League for the Ajax Attack and the Trenton Sting.

His death is making Whitby captain Peter MacKellar wonder if the rules should be changed.

"I got into a fight one or two games later and my helmet came off, and all of a sudden you're thinking about Don and you're thinking, `Jeez this could happen right now,"' he said.

"But I've seen so many helmets come off and I've seen people hit their heads on the ice before and, you know, [there were] no real complications."

MacKellar says the Dunlops are dedicating the rest of the season to Sanderson's memory.

"We'll just have to work just as hard as he did, because he really worked so hard this year, and I was just so impressed with his work ethic and just his loyalty to his team," he said.

"If we can rally for him and play for him — play in his honour — I think that'd be a nice touch."