At a glance
- WHAT: Patterson Unified School District parent forum, with city of Patterson and Patterson Police Services
- WHEN: 7 p.m. Monday
- WHERE: Apricot Valley Elementary School, 1320 Henley Parkway
- WHAT: City of Patterson public forum on PHS fight
- WHEN: 6 p.m. Tuesday
- WHERE: Council Chambers, City Hall, 1 Plaza
- INFO: 895-8000
Almost 350 students failed to show up at Patterson High School Thursday, amid heightened security following Wednesday’s campus brawl.
Normally, the 1,600-student school is missing only 100 students on any given day. More students were back to school Friday.
Several parents said they’d debated whether to send their students to class because of gang fights that broke out on campus the day before.
“I just feel like our school can’t handle it if something happens again,” said senior Stephanie Paschal, who stayed home Thursday.
In response to Wednesday’s violence, Patrick Sweeney, superintendent of Patterson Unified School District, said the district will hire a campus officer and two campus supervisors to join the two already at Patterson High School.
Police have promised full-time campus resource officers at the high school and Creekside Middle School.
Video cameras also will be installed, and the high school’s nutrition break will be canceled for the rest of the year, though the school will have a longer lunch.
“We think that what went on yesterday is a community-wide issue,” Sweeney said Thursday. “We are working with the police on it.”
Nine students who were arrested on suspicion of being involved in Wednesday’s melee were also suspended, which means they cannot go to school for five days.
Those students will appear before the school board at a later date for an expulsion hearing. If they are expelled, they cannot attend school in the Patterson Unified School District.
Sweeney said folks on campus reacted quickly to Wednesday’s fight, and students and staff exhibited patience during the lockdown.
Deputy Royjindar Singh of the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department said one of the key things people can do to help is to report criminal activity.
“We need to start identifying these gang members, so we can build a case against them,” he said. “We want to try to get them on the right path and get a good life.”
Singh said he felt the school was safe and that Wednesday’s brawl was an isolated incident.
“Most students are good students,” he said.
On-campus counseling is available for teachers and students through the Center for Human Services.
Several students said Thursday that school was much calmer, though things still didn’t feel like normal, particularly with the number of absent students.
“It was a lot like Patterson before it got the grocery store,” junior Amanda Ludwig said, referring to the size of the city before Save Mart Supermarkets opened in 2000.
Several students said they discussed Wednesday’s fights during their first-period classes and talked about ways to prevent them from happening again.
“There wasn’t a lot of teaching going on today,” junior Martin Moreno said. “People said they were scared. There were a lot of cops around, making sure everyone’s safe.”
Students said they were prohibited from gathering in large groups at lunch.
Despite the added security, some students said they feared more troubles between rival gangs were still to come.
Parents had mixed reactions about whether to send their children to school.
Parent Janine Goubert, whose children attended school Thursday, said her daughter was still nervous about going.
“It just frustrates me,” Goubert said. “I remember when the town had 2,900 people, and we didn’t have problems like that. If there was a fight, they’d beat each other up with their fists, and it was done. It was all under control yesterday till parents got hold of it. School and police were doing all they could.”
Kim Brown, who has a senior and two juniors at the school, picked up her students from school Wednesday and took them in late Thursday.
“Before we moved here 1½ years ago, we knew there were gangs,” Brown said. “It seems the school is not equipped to handle this. Next time something happens, (my children) have my permission to walk off campus.”
Carol Linton said she didn’t feel safe sending her daughter Thursday and wasn’t sure when she would send her daughter back to school again.
Parents will have an opportunity to voice their opinions during a school district parent forum Monday evening.
The 7 p.m. event will be at Apricot Valley Elementary School on Henley Parkway.
The city also will host a public forum on the same subject Tuesday at City Hall.
“We’re not turning a blind eye,” City Manager Cleve Morris said. “The city is very concerned.”
To reach Maddy Houk at the Irrigator, call 892-6187
 |
Subscribe to this comment's feed