​BUFFALO, N.Y. — ​Buffalo Teachers Federation President Phil Rumore says teachers have been sounding the alarm for more than a year about the situation at McKinley High School.

Reports of fights, educators and students feeling in danger and a lack of discipline in response to poor student behavior are chief among his concerns.

“What we need to have in this schools, and this school is far worse than any other of our other schools,” he said, “What we need to do is have a plan where there is discipline and there are consequences and wherever the students need help, they get help. But we need the involvement of the whole community.”

Former McKinley High Principal Marck Abraham was saddened to hear about the altercation that would up in violence outside the school he led until two years ago.

“When I got the news that there was a shooting at McKinley High School, my heart sunk down in my chest because, these are my former students,” Abraham said. “These are the young people I looked into their eyes and told them that they are the best, and that I believed that they’re the best and they can accomplish anything in the world.”

Abraham’s message to students and teachers at the school is, don’t let this horrible day define you, and the entire community needs to come together to move forward and solve the issues at hand.

“They are feeling the trauma of this right now,” he said. “They’re feeling scared. They’re feeling worried. Your teachers are feeling worried. Your teachers are feeling scared. So what we have to do as a community is we’ve got to wrap our arms around each other and say, ‘hey, we’re better than this. That violence is not the answer for any situation.”