Student attacked by two others at Potomac’s Winston Churchill High School

Friday’s classroom incident filmed, posted on social media

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June 9, 2026 9:39 a.m.

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Two students attacked another student Friday in a classroom at Potomac’s Winston Churchill High School and the incident was filmed and posted to social media, Principal John Taylor said in a Sunday letter sent to the school community. 

“Two students entered a classroom, attacked a fellow student and then fled both the class and the building,” Taylor said in the letter. “Unfortunately, this assault was shared on social media, and your student may have seen it, or had the video shared with them. Please encourage your student not to participate in gossip or the sharing of the video.” 

MCPS spokesperson Liliana Lopez didn’t immediately respond to questions about the details of the incident or whether the student was transported to the hospital.  Local blog Moderately MoCo first reported on the incident.

According to Taylor, the incident occurred during the “last few minutes of class on Friday.” Staff members intervened, Taylor said, providing the victim “aid and support.” 

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“We recognize that some families may be wondering why this communication is being shared today,” Taylor said, referencing the community letter that was sent two days after the incident “Following the incident, our immediate focus was ensuring the safety and well-being of the student involved, securing the classroom and school, gathering facts, and beginning a thorough investigation.”  

School counselors social workers would be available at the school to support students, he said.  

Taylor said the students attacked the other will receive “the most severe consequences” based on the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) student code of conduct. The school will also be implementing additional “safety plans and supportive measures to help ensure that there is no future occurrence of this type of behavior,” but did not specify the plans and measures. 

MCPS adjusted its code of conduct for the 2025-2026 school year, resulting in expanded consequences for behaviors such as recording and posting fights on social media. According to the code, communicating information using a personal device that “violates the privacy of others; jeopardizes the health or safety of students or employees; is obscene or libelous; [and] causes disruption of school activities or MCPS operations,” among other impacts, can result in teacher-led punishments, such as community service, or long-term administrative punishments, such as long-term suspension. 

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The attack comes just nine days before the end of the school year, which has included several gun-related incidents in MCPS schools, including shootings at Thomas S. Wootton High School in Rockville on Feb. 9 and James Hubert Blake High in Colesville on April 29. The district’s after-action reports on those shootings found that the schools should evaluate whether or not more security or other adult presences are needed throughout the day. 

The attack also occurred one day after the Montgomery County school board voted for a $3.72 billion MCPS budget for the coming fiscal year that eliminated 28 proposed school safety and security positions among cuts required to close a budget gap.  

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Originally published at Bethesdamagazine