ST. LOUIS – The Missouri State Conference of the NAACP is weighing in on a viral fight that left one teen fighting for her life and another facing criminal charges. The civil rights organization is calling a recent response by Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey harmful and politically motivated.

John Bowman, president of the St. Louis County branch of the NAACP, said the Attorney General has not shown interest in getting involved in cases where the victims were Black.

He views Bailey’s call for an investigation into the Hazelwood School District’s diversity, equity and inclusion training as an attempt at scoring political points. 

“That is clearly what is happening here,” Bowman said.

Bailey’s call for an investigation came after FOX 2 reported on a past dispute between the Hazelwood School District and police over required diversity training. The dispute resulted in the absence of school resource officers at Hazelwood East High School. 

An attorney for the Hazelwood School District has also responded, stating Bailey made unsupported allegations that race was a factor and that school resource officers would have been on the scene. The fight was a half-mile from school property and after school.  

The student who suffered critical injuries has been identified by her family attorney as Kaylee Gain. The family recently released an update on her condition, indicating she was breathing on her own.

There are also allegations that Gain was throwing punches the day before the fight, which went viral. The father of a student involved in an incident told FOX 2 that Gain jumped her daughter and was suspended by the school district.   

“I have actually seen a video of the fight that Kaylee was involved in that caused her to be suspended from school,” Bowman said. 

Bowman adds that attributing her injuries to diversity programs misrepresents the goals of the programs and ignores allegations of bullying from Black students.

He also said his office has received a growing number of calls from Black parents who say their students have been bullied by white students. He believes some students are growing up with racial animosity they learn from their parents.

“We have to be very careful as responsible adults to not pour gasoline on a fire that needs to be put out,” Bowman said.