Fighting among students at Vicksburg High School has been overplayed, city and county officials said at a “unity meeting for our youth” Wednesday at the Vicksburg Warren School District, called and facilitated by Mayor Paul Winfield.

About 50 people attended the midday meeting, including four members of the VWSD Board of Trustees, Superintendent Dr. Elizabeth Swinford, Warren County Youth Court Judge Johnny Price, VHS principal Derrick Reed, Warren Central High School principal Jamie Creel and district security head Dewayne Sims.

Price said the March 20 fight, after which VHS administrators locked down the school and nine students were arrested, began with “two little girls, 14- or 15-years-old, that had a problem two years earlier on a school bus.”

One said something to the other, who slugged the first girl, said Price. Several other students who were bystanders got involved and were picked up by police. Two had their cases dismissed, he said.

“It escalated and kind of got a little out of hand and the next thing you know you have sirens going down Drummond Street, and all those people who have children at the school think something tragic has really happened,” Price said.

No gangs or weapons were involved, he said.

All the underage students arrested at VHS in recent weeks except for one unspecified case have already appeared in court, he said.

“The justice in youth court is swift,” he said, adding, “The mother of one of the little girls under oath stood up in open court and accepted responsibility,” saying she should have called the school to report tensions between the girls.

Price also reviewed other fights reported at the school and outside the movie theater at Vicksburg Mall, saying none of the youths arrested at the theater were referred to youth court.

Winfield opened the meeting by stating that he had not intended it to be publicized for community attendance.

“This was supposed to be a meeting that was set between the school board, city administration, law enforcement and Warren County, and was not open for total community discussion,” Winfield said. “I think that needs to take place at a later time. But, since everyone is here, and I think we are all here with the same goal in mind, we are going to proceed on.”

Winfield announced Friday at a meeting of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen that he had called the meeting with school officials and North Ward Alderman Michael Mayfield would participate. South Ward Alderman Sid Beauman did not attend.

Any meeting of a quorum of publicly elected officials is considered an open meeting for public attendance by state law.

Winfield said the City of Vicksburg is eager to support the school department and the needs of area youths.

“We want to come up with ways that are creative to encourage more parental involvement, to bring in our churches … and to focus on some productive things we can do in our community to make us the best community we can be,” he said.

Swinford said she welcomed the opportunity to work together to discuss and provide options for students to make better choices and it was encouraging to see so many people attend a midday meeting.

“Every time I have to suspend a child or remove a child, it interferes with their education and if we are trying to improve the future of our city and our community it really is in our best interest to try to educate them,” she said. “Pulling them out of school is not the way to do that.”

School board president Zelmarine Murphy gave a lengthy message rebuking parents for not being more involved, disciplining their children and instilling in them respect for education. Parents need to read the student handbook for their child’s school, for example — they are required to sign a form stating that they have — and send children to school prepared to learn, she said.

Murphy said teachers have been equipped with materials and training, but children need to bring their own motivation and initiative to the classroom.

Parents, however, questioned enforcement of discipline in the schools and said their efforts are not always accepted.

“We are not as welcome as you think we are,” said Tonya Williams, a mother of six. Williams said better follow-through is needed when parents do work with schools or with the recommendations of Youth Court.

Bridgette Harris said many parents do exercise strict control of their child’s work and behavior but school rules are not enforced or teachers yell at students instead of administering effective discipline.

Swinford said all reports of ineffective or incomplete discipline are investigated by her or her assistants. Sometimes they find deficiencies, she said.

“We learn from what we’ve done and we try to build on that as we go on,” she said.

Officials attending the meeting included county supervisors Bill Lauderdale and John Arnold, Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace, members of the Vicksburg police including Chief Walter Armstrong, Deputy Chief Mitchell Dent and investigations head Capt. Bobby Stewart, Vicksburg fire Chief Charles Atkins, city attorney Lee Thames and school district officials.