Woman involved in brawl between elementary school moms speaks out

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — One Orange County elementary school has become the site of repeated fights, but it’s not among students: it’s their parents.

Channel 9 obtained cellphone video of three women brawling outside Eccleston Elementary School.

One of the women is out of jail and telling her side of the story.

Amy Vannest said she was acting in self-defense and was trying to stop the fight between her friend, Sandra Rivera, and Lerhonda Sanders.

Raw: Students' mothers fist fight outside school

“I got hit by a little boy with a stick,” Vannest said.

She said she and Rivera went to pick up their children from the school when they were confronted by Sanders.

“We tried to mind our business, but when someone comes toward you, you gotta do what you gotta do,” Vannest said.

The 38-year-old said she pulled out her pocket knife in self-defense.

“But I never hit anybody with it or nothing. I was defending myself from (dying or getting my) neck snapped,” Vannest said.

Raw: Woman involved in brawl between school moms speaks out

Orlando police said Rivera was the other aggressor.

She’s still being held in jail on a no bond status after violating conditions of her release.

Rivera, 28, was arrested last December after she was caught on camera putting a student in a headlock.

Both women said the fights stem from their children being relentlessly bullied.

“All these kids are getting jumped, the school and police are not doing anything about it,” Vannest said.

Sanders did not want to comment about the incident.

Rivera will have to stay behind bars until the trial for her previous fight.

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