PALATKA, Fla. -- Twenty-seven Palatka High School students and the school's principal have been treated at a hospital after deputies said a fight broke out at the school Friday morning.

According to the Putnam County Sheriff's Office, the fight started between six female students at about 8 a.m.

One of those students used a canister of mace or similar pepper spray-type substance during the confrontation, deputies said.

The pepper spray was not deployed by law enforcement personnel, and order was quickly restored by Sheriff's Office school resource officers, teachers and staff, according to the sheriff's office.

Superintendent Tom Townsend said pepper spray is not allowed in school. He said the school's principal, Deborah Decubellis, also felt some of the effects of the pepper spray.

Deputies said the six students directly involved in the fighting were arrested and charged with disruption of a school function as a result of their involvement in the altercation.

The students who were injured were taken to the Putnam Community Medical Center, though deputies said there did not appear to be any serious injuries related to the incident, and students were receiving medical treatment as a precautionary measure.