When a school district produces students good enough to go to MIT and Brown University, perform in award-winning musicals and build a football powerhouse, nobody really wants to talk about the students who are fighting.

But members of the Woodland Hills Education Association feel compelled to speak up about growing safety concerns. By their count, more than 60 teachers have been injured this school year breaking up fights in an effort to protect students.

Some had bumps and bruises, and some required further medical treatment, including one who is expected to miss six weeks because of a broken kneecap.

"We believe it has reached a point of crisis," said Arleen Starr, a staff representative of the Pennsylvania State Education Association who has worked with the district's teachers for 16 years.

After the union tried to work with the administration behind the scenes, Ms. Starr, Michelle Sperduto, president of the local union and a teacher at Wilkins Primary, and 10 other teachers met with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Wednesday at PSEA offices to discuss their concerns.

The teachers -- some of whom are Woodland Hills graduates or residents -- don't want the achievements of their students overshadowed. But they also don't want students or colleagues injured.

The situation reached the point that Superintendent Roslynne Wilson sent a letter, received Monday by Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr., asking him to assess "the degree of emerging gang activity in our schools."

Woodland Hills spokeswoman Maria McCool said Mr. Zappala has sent a representative to the high school.

Yesterday, Dr. Wilson sent a letter to parents of high school students saying a new administrative team has been appointed. Janet Carter, who had been principal of East Junior High, is co-principal over everything but curriculum and instruction, which still will be the area of current co-principal Allison Kline.

Dr. Wilson said volunteers from One Vision One Life in the county Department of Human Services will be present in hallways, and a hall sweep program by security, administrators and teachers will be reactivated.

Students who are loitering or late to class will be sent home by bus and won't be readmitted until accompanied by a parent. The school tried a similar plan in spring 2005.

If there is a fight, students who "stop to watch or linger in the hallways, and prevent or slow the efforts of the security staff in stopping the fight" will be suspended.

Ms. Starr said yesterday that teachers were not consulted or told about the letter in advance.

"This is just another stopgap measure to try to defray any kind of concerns parents may have. There's no long-term plan," she said.

The union has formed a safety crisis committee and plans to make recommendations to the school board Wednesday.

Statistics compiled by teachers in the 4,780-student district are jarring.

This school year, they said, nearly 30 teachers have been injured at the high school, about 15 at West Junior High, eight teachers and one aide at Dickson Intermediate and nine teachers in 12 incidents at Rankin Intermediate. No assaults were reported at the district's other five schools.

The teachers expressed concern about their own and their students' safety.

"We have wonderful kids. I love the kids," said Paul Serbak, a fifth-grade teacher at Dickson.

Recently when covering an absent teacher's class, Mr. Serbak asked the class of about 20 sixth-graders whether they felt safe in school. Half said they did not. He asked if they are afraid to go to West Junior High next year. Every child replied "yes."

"I found that to be sad," he said. "If they don't feel safe, something's wrong."

It is often said in many districts that students fight at school because it's safer than in the streets. They know a staff member will break it up.

But stepping in can be dangerous for teachers.

Barbara Amick, the union vice president who loves teaching art at the high school, was still "very sore" from a fight she helped to break up two days earlier.

She said a girl was pulled out of another teacher's classroom by three girls who came down the hall and attacked her. The teacher tried to pull the girl free but had difficulty.

Ms. Amick said she restrained one of the assailants, who punched her in the arm and stomped on her foot. She said the case is headed to juvenile court.

In one area near lockers in the high school, teacher Laura Arthrell described trying to hold back large numbers of students pushing to try to see or get involved in the fighting.

Ms. Arthrell said her own seven children -- including one still in school -- have received good educations in Woodland Hills, but she said there are more fights now.

Each secondary school has one resource officer, who is a police officer, said Ms. McCool.

The district also has seven to 10 security guards in the high school and four at each of the two junior highs, according to Tom Curry, president of Dynasty Security.

In a budget-cutting move, Woodland Hills this school year got rid of hall and cafeteria monitors, resulting in pending grievance and unfair labor practice charges from the teachers union. The district hired Holy Family Institute to staff one special education classroom and provide several student intervention specialists who monitor particular students.

Teachers spoke of inconsistent or uneven consequences for students who fight or threaten or assault teachers.

"It depends on how busy the office is that day," said Ed Nestico, a special education teacher at Rankin Intermediate who has been injured twice.

Turnover also is an issue. Bruce Fisher, a teacher at West Junior High, counts 31 administrators at the school over the last 17 years.

The high school began the year with two co-principals and three assistant principals. Just two are still there.

It's not clear whether groups of students have organizational ties to well-established gangs.

But teachers said some students act in a gang-like manner and commit crimes, including assaults, at school. Some have given their groups gang-like names and dress in similar colors, styles or jewelry.