Report: Rioting at Gainesville State School was sparked by gangs, boredom, ‘issues’

Six days of mayhem at the Gainesville State School — with teens assaulting officers and each other — was ignited by gang-related conflicts, boredom and a desire to protest over “issues on campus,” according to a report in the Houston Chronicle.

The disturbance in November came to a head while some youths were off-campus representing the football team in a state semifinal game, the Chronicle reported. It erupted weeks after state school supervisor Mike Studamire was fired. After the melee, four other top officials were fired, the news outlet reported.

State officials put most of the blame for the problems at the school on the inability to hire and retain qualified staff to supervise the juvenile delinquents in their care. Union officials blame low pay and a lack of guards, the Chronicle says. Read the full report here.

This story was originally published February 20, 2019 at 12:57 PM with the headline "Report: Rioting at Gainesville State School was sparked by gangs, boredom, ‘issues’."