There were some fights at school earlier this week. Five kids are under suspension and may face an even longer suspension.
They claim to be gang related, but police have not been able to confirm this.
Security is tightened, but school officials are saying things are calm and safe.
More in todays paper.
I would like to find some parents of high school students, and students, to talk to.
Contact me if you'd like to talk about it.
Call me at the paper 442-4200
or write, jjordan@arkcity.net
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35 comments:
I talked to a parent that was NOT happy that the school is down playing this. USD 470 did nothing to notify parents and let them know what is going on. 400+ kids out of school today is NOT a good thing.
Sounds like a great thing. Students need to be evacuated. We need the metal detectors installed ASAP instead of the new tennis court and football field first. "GUN DAY" has got to be controlled.
Gang Violence? It s between Mexican students and black students. Send the "Nationals" back where they came from. Illegals are a plague on our resources.
Oh hell...sirens heading north. FD and Police, two ambulances
DON READ FOR SHERIFF!
Sean Wallace Kicks ass!!
Kick those little bastards out, and let them fight outside of school so they can be arrested.
TWINKIES rule
TWINKIES rule
Gay basher...
The situation in our schools needs some fair discussion and not name calling or people trying to be cute. It will be hard to get the whole story because those in the building are afraid of the administration and the kids will tell part of the story probably dramatically.The parents want to know the TRUTH but how do you get the real facts. The district has it sugar coated and if you talk to the teachers (some were actually injured this week) they will admit they can not discuss it.
This is a societal problem and not just about races. It is easy to blame yet look at home first.
This is a societal problem and not just about races. It is easy to blame yet look at home first.
This is so true. I get tired of hearing "not my kid" when everyone knows which kids are the trouble makers. Who ever these kids are need to be dealt with accordingly regardless of gender or race. I talked to a school employee today and it was all surgar coated....only to find out more stuff later.
Come on USD 470...this will only get bigger if you are not dealing with it properly. This is a HUGE issue.
Sounds like at least some of this was and is, being overblown.
Ive talked to several high school kids today who say it wasnt all that bad. There were some fights, but not all over the place and not every day.
We're trying to figure out what actually happened and shoot down some of the rumors.
The kids in trouble claimed to be gang related, but ... there is no evidence to prove that.
we shall see.
Some of you folks who were there get ahold of me.
I am sure it's just a matter of time before the Wichita media come down here and dig up the real story.
Perhaps our local media can tag-along and learn from the big boys how to get the story.
On Wed. a teacher said we have had eight fights in three days and four teachers injured....not that bad?? What is bad??? That is not a teacher that would make things up and then another teacher in another part of the building repeated the same story. sorry, I don't think they are exaggerating. Both are very involved awesome teachers that have lots of experience in the building.
On Wed. a teacher said we have had eight fights in three days and four teachers injured....not that bad?? What is bad??? That is not a teacher that would make things up and then another teacher in another part of the building repeated the same story. sorry, I don't think they are exaggerating. Both are very involved awesome teachers that have lots of experience in the building.
>>>>
Ok, but we talked to one teacher who was allegedly hurt, and she wasn't, and she said another teacher that was allegedly hurt, also was not hurt.
Three students said there were fights only tuesday and wednesday, and they didn't see any of them.
Just trying to find out the real deal.
Spreading rumors isn't news.
Give me some people who will talk about the fights on the record. Ill even go to them.
j
Well i am glad my daughter will never be back at that school. She was picked on by some of the hispanics because of a situation, has had trouble since middle school with one. Then they ask if you want to call the police. Sure! Why not! Lets cause more problems.
I think the school should have contacted parents about the threats. I didn't find out about it until last night at bedtime because my kid was afraid to go to school today. We are signed up on the powerschool email system, so how hard could it have been to warn us? And where was the Traveler during all this? You didn't get the story until today after Newscow aired it. I thought you had your finger on the pulse, but it must have been somewhere else these last few days.
Reality is that they will not talk on the record. They do not feel comfortable doing so. Talking to the newspaper and talking to a friend are two different things. The fight Tuesday was the biggest but it was not the only one. If even one student stayed home because of a fear of violence it is too many and the district will continue to downplay this.
If a student is suspended and does not return to school it affects the graduation rate and it the graduation rate drops it affects the awards the district receives and the rating it gets from the state. Discipline is an issue and most of us would be shocked if we knew what was acceptable at the high school. In some ways, they don't have a choice.
Before you act like this is no big deal talk to a teacher off the record and some parents as well. Many worry about repercussions from the students involved and from the bosses. This really is not an issue that is overblown but an issue that is not being acknowledged and it is more serious than a fight between two guys over a girl or two girls over a guy.
"GUN DAY" has got to be controlled.
Gun day was created by the parents of the 400+ students who chose to let their children stay at home. The only real threat was the one created by the gossip mongers and cell phone junkies. How many students went home after school started because they did not know it was ok to skip school today until they arrived? ACHS was the safest place to be in town today.
I agree. If there was a fight at school, it was JJ's fault. Had to be. And the cover-up too!!!!!
There is a different standard in a newspaper vs a webpage.
If you go to teachers and ask if they were injured and they say no, then the answer is no. (what about no..., etc.)
You publish yes, or you don't ask the teacher and publish yes because you just want it to be so, then that is a lie.
There is nothing prohibiting a webpage from publishing half-truths and lies. Thousands of pages do it every day.
That's the difference.
It seems we want to keep our head in the sand. I believe the teachers don't want to be on record. I know them too well to believe any differently. I am NOT talking about what the kids are saying but what the teachers are saying. They have lots to lose and so does the district if they admit we might have a problem.
"They have lots to lose and so does the district if they admit we might have a problem."
That is the Ark City way.
Whether it is economic development, 2 kids fighting in the school,(a virtual gang war? give me a break) or poor academic performance at the High School.
Next step? They will receive an award and have a ceremony (with a press release) for exemplary good behavior.
That is also the Ark City way. An award or public club meeting eliminates all scrutiny. It "proves" that everything is excellent, no matter what.
While we are at it, search those kid's garages for spray paint and ask them about the graffiti.
I'll bet they know something about it. ;) Drug test them too.
You know... It wouldn't be a bad idea to require a drug test for every major misbehavior, such as a fight etc. That would prevent most scuffles.
Also 10 clock hours of parent and kid with school administrator conferencing. That would take care of the rest.
The district did a wonderful job of disguising the whole mess at the high school. A teacher is a little sore, over half the kids stay home, parents go to school to try to help maintain control, increased patrols from the police and this was overblown? I have kids and they were scared and that means more to me than any press release about the calm in the bulding.
No teacher should be a little sore from being head butted, no kid should stay home from fear, no extra patrols should be necessary as a "precaution."
Talk to any teacher at the building that is not in the "inner circle" and they will tell you that there is a huge problem. Sweeping it under the rug is not a solution.
If five kids were arrested that is a big deal. Fighting seldom results in arrests. We have been told to never ignore threats but the district did because they were not sure they were credible. How can you ever be sure? If more information had been available perhaps less panic would have been created. I did not assume the information was accurate about the guns but I do think the teachers who will speak have confirmed that there is big problem with discipline. Please school board, deal with it. No more days where kids are afraid of school
If parents and students have no reason to worry then why did they bother with having extra officers Friday? Somebody is contradicting themselves. Does authority figures really think that AC is invincible? Violence and bad things happen everywhere and when someone figures that out, we can start working on some preventive measures. Start with installing metal detectors. Listen to those kids that tell you about a gang member. Just because you assume they are a wannabe doesn't make them any less of a threat. All it could take is for that one person to blow a fuse. If those kids fighting are claiming to be gang members,treat them like the big boys and punish them like one. Will it do any good? IDK, but don't pat their heads and give them a few fines. Stop them now, before it's too late.
I think there was / is a problem.
I think part of it is people want it to be either a huge disaster looming or nothing at all happening.
Neither extreme is right.
I think you all have done a wonderful job of scaring the hell out of the kids and other parents. Congratulations on making everyone in Ark City believe this should have been another Columbine.
It's too bad parent's have no control over their children. I don't mean the ones that get into fights, they have ALWAYS been there (If you don't remember fights when you were in school you have a pretty poor memory). I mean the children that told their parents what they would or wouldn't do. Are there any true parents left out there? Or are you all afraid of your children?
Thanks again to all you rumor mongors who demand to spread the worst information possible even when you know there is no proof. Even when you are told it didn't happen that way.
Grow up! Be a real parent! Try to teach your children instead of doing what the demand you to do.
Yep, you know everything and have the solution to it all.
I think it's funny how the laundry mat south of town was cleaned up sooo quickly when it said something towards police. However, when it was painted again without targeting the police, it is allowed to be on there for months. It's still there. Along with the boxcar a block north on 1st street.
You people who are all holier than thou about us keeping our children home obviously don't have children at the High School, or are willing to take even the slightest chance that they could be hurt in an altercation that the police thought was credible enough to have several officers present. And you call us bad parents because we kept our children at home??? I call you a bad parent for sending them. Ask yourself what you'd think if something had happened!
If five kids were arrested that is a big deal. Fighting seldom results in arrests.
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They were not arrested. There have been no criminal charges filed.
They were suspended by school officials.
and may be suspended for a very long time.
I am trying to figure out who is being referred to as "all holier than thou." I am honestly puzzled. Does taking an opposing view demean the opposition? I do not see this as a contest of who is right and wrong here, it is about what is best for our children. We should all be in this together. I know I have considered different ideas from reading opposing posts.
I was reffering to the November 15, 2008 11:27 AM post as being holier than thou.
Read it and you should anderstand why. If not, come back and I'll point it out sentence by sentence.
Seriously. I'm not being sarcastic or facetious.
Traveler Editor said...
If five kids were arrested that is a big deal. Fighting seldom results in arrests.
>>
They were not arrested. There have been no criminal charges filed.
They were suspended by school officials.
and may be suspended for a very long time.
>>
If what you say is true, why haven't charges been filed. It had been my understanding that under the "new policy," all parties would be arrested, and the courts would hash it out.
I am personally aware of several students who have been arrested at the High School for much, much less. Why the double standard?
Ok....so no one has "verified" these kids are part of gang. They believe they are part of gang and perhaps they are...just this gang it not yet recognized by the police department or whatever. That is just as dangerous. If these kids claim to be part of gang then take it seriously people.
They did take it seriously.
They removed the kids involved and beefed up security.
That is doing something :)
With some investigative reporting, can you find out how long these kids have been in Ark City? Are they kids who have come it from elsewhere with gang affiliations. One or two can quickly turn others to their ways.
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