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South Bay Middle School Recovering After Violence at Annual Fundraising Carnival

A South Bay middle school was in recovery mode Monday after its fundraising carnival turned into a riot between teenagers and police Friday evening and was shut down for the remainder of the weekend.

Seven police officers were assaulted and eight juveniles were arrested at Britton Middle School in Morgan Hill after an altercation that sparked a massive police response, including Morgan Hill police, Santa Clara County sheriff's deputies, police from San Jose and Gilroy and paramedics.

The school and families are reeling from the violent incident as well as the crucial funding loss for the school's Home and School Club. The annual carnival was expected to bring in about $20,000 and is the volunteer group’s only fundraiser of the year.

"When it was taken away from us, they were just in shock and really, really upset that it could happen so fast," club President Jennifer Uyeda-Allen said. "All of our funds go to our technology in the classrooms, sports programs, PE equipment. It goes for teacher grants, it goes for the band, it goes for assemblies, it goes for after-school sports, it goes for dances, field trips."

Morgan Hill police said the confrontation started when officers apprehended two teenagers seen exchanging a knife. That's when other juveniles attacked officers to initiate an escape.

"They were trying to take them from police custody and run off with the individual, basically to avoid them from being taken to jail," Officer Troy Hoefling said.

Students at the California Distinguished School refused to be discouraged.

"That was like a little problem, and it’ll be fixed," Colby Allen said.

Britton's Home and School Club is trying to do just that, starting with a GoFundMe campaign that had raised just over $1,600 of a $15,000 goal as of Monday afternoon.

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