Were children pepper sprayed at Rosevelt high school in Minneapolis's
Executive summary
Multiple eyewitnesses and circulating videos show federal agents deploying a chemical irritant during a confrontation outside Roosevelt High School at dismissal, and several students and staff reported being hit by that substance, which witnesses described as pepper spray [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]. Federal officials acknowledge deploying Oleoresin Capsicum (OC) spray on members of a crowd but dispute use of “tear gas,” while Minneapolis Public Schools says the incident is under investigation and has not publicly confirmed a definitive count of students pepper‑sprayed [6] [7] [8] [9].
1. Eyewitnesses and video show chemical irritant deployed at dismissal
Multiple local outlets report bystanders, staff and students saying they saw agents fire a chemical irritant on a crowd that included dozens of students at dismissal time outside Roosevelt High School, and video shared online shows a chemical irritant being deployed during the confrontation [2] [3] [4] [5].
2. What federal authorities say they did — and did not — do
U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s account confirms agents deployed pepper spray and a “short‑range chemical munition” to regain control of the scene and says OC spray was used on a crowd member who allegedly interfered with arrests, while the Department of Homeland Security has explicitly denied use of tear gas at the site—distinguishing their description of crowd control from some witnesses’ accounts [6] [7].
3. Educators, unions and parents say students and staff were affected
The Minneapolis Federation of Educators and other school staff reported that educators and some students were hit with chemicals that felt like pepper spray, called the actions “unconscionable,” and helped prompt Minneapolis Public Schools to cancel classes for the rest of the week while the district investigates [10] [2] [11] [9].
4. Conflicting narratives and gaps in official confirmation
While numerous witnesses and local outlets describe students being pepper‑sprayed or exposed to chemical agents, Minneapolis Public Schools declined to answer whether students were pepper‑sprayed or injured, and CBP’s narrative frames deployment as targeted crowd control aimed at individuals allegedly obstructing arrests—leaving a factual gap between witness claims of students hit and the federal description of actions taken [8] [12] [6].
5. Assessment — were children pepper‑sprayed at Roosevelt High School?
Based on available reporting, the most accurate statement is that students and staff were exposed to a chemical irritant during the Roosevelt incident and multiple witnesses described that irritant as pepper spray; federal agents acknowledge using OC (pepper) spray on crowd members, though they dispute use of tear gas and emphasize targeted use against people allegedly interfering with arrests [2] [6] [7]. However, Minneapolis Public Schools has not publicly provided an authoritative, itemized confirmation that lists specific students who were pepper‑sprayed, so while substantial and consistent witness and video evidence supports that students were affected by a pepper‑spray‑like agent, an official, fully corroborated roster or statement confirming which children were pepper‑sprayed has not been published as of the reporting available [8] [9].