LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Teachers are being caught in the middle of students fighting.
One teacher told WDRB that students are losing instructional time because teachers are spending so much time breaking up fights.
"Every day, there's probably about five or six different fights throughout the school," a Hudson Middle School teacher said.
She is one of several teachers who said the violence makes them afraid to teach at Dr. J Blaine Hudson Middle School. They all wanted to stay anonymous out of fear of retaliation.
"Some teachers have gotten hurt in the crossfire," a teacher said.
One of those fights happened on a school bus last week. Louisville police and Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) police were called after several students jumped off Bus #2105 and ran to a nearby home to continue the fight.
In an email to teachers, principal Dr. Jeronda Majors said family members of some of those students got involved.
"Last year there were challenges but it wasn't to this degree," a teacher said.
JCPS is still working on installing weapons detectors at all middle schools. Hudson doesn't have one yet.
However, after the fight on August 28, the school's safety officer will patrol more inside and outside of the building.
"I think the heightened security is a good start but I think the biggest issue is to be fully filling the vacancies," a teacher said.
As of Thursday morning, the school had 14 vacant positions. Twelve of those positions were teacher or classroom instructional jobs.
"Trying to teach in that environment is stressful," a teacher said. "The teachers and the staff are overworked."
A new building for Hudson Middle is on the way but right now it's housed in an old elementary school.
"Trying to fit 32 sixth graders into a classroom that should have held 22 Kindergarteners is a struggle," a teacher said.
Piling on to the issues impacts students' ability to learn.
"I love being a teacher and I do believe in the school," a teacher said. "I think there just needs to be a little bit more done from the district level."
In an email to parents, Dr. Majors said, "This type of behavior will not be tolerated" and that "the students involved will be disciplined in accordance with the Student Support and Behavior Intervention Handbook."
The school counselor is available for any students who may have been traumatized by the fight on Bus #2105.
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