Chopticon fight brings police

Rumors follow hallway dispute at high school

Friday, April 24, 2009

"As a result of this fight we did start hearing rumors of continued violence," Principal Garth Bowling said Thursday. "The rumors did state that a gun or guns were going to be brought to school."

All of the rumors are being investigated, he said, and "none of them have been confirmed."

On Thursday, April 16, students were allegedly throwing coins or crayons off a balcony at students below when "words were exchanged and a faculty member diffused the situation," said parent Kim Bannister, whose freshman son was involved.

The next day, last Friday, similar activities were occurring that escalated to a fistfight, she said. There were probably 10 to 12 people actually involved in the fight, according to her son.

"I do want to meet with [school administrators] to see what they're going to do to prevent this from happening" again, Bannister said. She said she has a meeting scheduled with the principal Friday and has received a call from the school superintendent's office offering to meet.

Bannister said she would like to see the school provide more education on racial tolerance and to show the administration does not tolerate this type of behavior.

She said her son was suspended from school for five days, served this week. On Tuesday she said she learned that other parents pursued assault and disruption of school activities charges against her son and at least one other boy.

The charge of second-degree assault filed Wednesday against the 14-year-old Chaptico boy followed an investigation of the incidents occurring over two days last week, St. Mary's sheriff's deputy Cindy Allen said Thursday, and additional charges are anticipated against a second suspect.

Four students were involved in throwing a quarter down a school stairwell on April 16 that struck a 14-year-old Morganza boy in the eye, Allen alleged, and the same four students were involved in throwing broken crayons down the stairwell the next day. Both incidents led to verbal arguments, the deputy said, but the dispute last Friday led to an assault that left the Morganza boy bruised from being beaten on the back of the head and with a bloody eye. His mother later took him to St. Mary's Hospital. "There were four suspects, but they've identified two as causing the assault," Allen said of the fight that involved "quite a few" students. "The fight had to be broken up by [employees of] the school," she said. "At this time, there's only been one victim identified."

Allen said the lone suspect charged so far in the investigation was released to his father.

Bannister said she and her son will have to meet with juvenile services to determine the next course of action.

Bowling would not comment on any criminal charges filed by parents.

"Parents can press charges against other students. That can occur. That's really out of my jurisdiction or control," Bowling said.

Bannister alleged the other group of boys yelled racial epithets at her son and his friends, who are black.

"If the kids had walked away [after allegedly being called names] it might have just went away, but I know that's hard to do at that young age," she said. "These young men should not be going around calling each other names."

Bannister attended and graduated from Chopticon in the early 1980s, and her two older boys attended the school. She said until this incident, she had not heard of any racially tinged incidents at the school.

Bannister said she agrees with her son's suspension for fighting, but questioned whether the punishments were doled out fairly and equally. Most of those suspended were black students, she said.

"I do not consider this a racial incident" after investigating the fight, Bowling said.

He said "several" students have been suspended because of the fight.

"Both races were represented in the suspensions," he said. "If you choose to settle your differences with your fists, that's going to result in a suspension."

Bannister said that according to her son as many as 200 students gathered to watch the hallway fight.

"I think this drew more attention than most because it occurred in one of the most crowded areas of school and in between classes," the principal said, adding, "We absolutely will have a safe and orderly school environment."

Of the rumors that started this week, "It's almost like these rumors are like a virus. They spread and take on a life of their own," Bowling said. The best prescription, he said, is open communication and good security.

After the fight Friday afternoon Bowling called to have extra sheriff's deputies present during dismissal. Several extra officers have been at the school each day this week and could be there next week as well, he said. "They come and go," he said of the officers, who walk the halls during class and are present at the start and dismissal of school.

"I've told kids we don't need congregating in the hallways, especially in the common areas," Bowling said. The new rule has received a positive response from many of the teachers, he said. "In other words, don't stop, you can walk and talk," he said.

Bannister said she and her son are worried about retaliation when he returns to school next week. "He said, ‘They're still threatening us on MySpace, and when they get back to school on Monday they're going to fight us,'" Bannister said, relaying a message from her son.

"We have these young men sending them threats, per se, through MySpace saying when they come back to school they're going to fight," Bannister said.

Parent Daniel Tapp said in an e-mail that he is worried about continued fighting or retaliation and that students might start bringing weapons to school to protect themselves. "What about my child's safety … he now has fear of going to school, being jumped, having to make a decision to fight to keep his safety, having to be the better person to walk away and hope he doesn't get jumped," Tapp wrote.

Bowling said he hopes the rumors will settle down soon and that for now he and most of the school are looking forward to prom this weekend.

jyeatman@somdnews.com

jwharton@somdnews.com