It happened Tuesday afternoon at Jay Cooke Elementary School in Philadelphia's Logan section. Now police are closing in on the suspects who terrorized the class of 7th graders.
Mardia Powell was in that third floor classroom when the parents of another girl barged in and started punching and slapping the other girls. 10 children and two adults, including a school police officer, were injured in the melee.
Wanda Powell, Mardia's mother, is outraged.
Powell said, "I don't understand how an adult could come in and just hit on children. Period ... I just don't understand. It's crazy."
Police say the girl whose parents showed up had sent them a text message. They don't know exactly what the dispute was about, but say the girl's parents barged in and confronted her classmates.
The school police officer tried to stop them.
Philadelphia School District spokesperson Fernando Gallard explains, "They basically pushed their way through the officer to go to the classroom where they were trying to pick a fight."
Parents are outraged that the adults were able to get past security and assault children.
Angela, whose child attends to the school, tells us, "It's just kind of crazy for a parent to come do that. Like, how mature are you to come pick on little kids?"
The school district says the adults were able to get in with a group of other parents who were coming in for an honor roll program in the auditorium. They say they've never seen anything like it.
"It's not even something that we think about having to face – having parents to come in and fight students, or fight anyone else," Gallard said.
Most of the injuries didn't require treatment.
Mardia says she wants her attackers off the streets, saying, "I hope they get locked up. Because if he don't, a lot of people out there looking for him. So, they better lock him up."
Police have arrest warrants for the parents involved, and for their 13-year-old daughter. All three will be facing at least 14 counts of assault.
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