La Quinta High School meeting addresses campus fights
After several fights broke out at La Quinta High School last week, parents are meeting to talk about the safety concerns on campus.
Parents received a letter from the La Quinta High School Principal, Dr. Wilson, who shut down rumors circulating on social media about recent fights. Many of the fights were captured on video by students. Colleen Water, the mother of one of the victims, told KEQS & CBS Local 2 her daughter was attacked by two people before bystanders broke up the fight. In another fight caught on camera, a security guard can be seen slamming a student to the ground.
Wilson invited parents to attend a meeting to discuss safety at the campus. According to staff, there are more than 2,700 students who attend La Quinta High School, only about 50 parents showed up to the meeting. Some of those parents say they are happy with how the school is handling the issue, others are left with unanswered questions.
“I feel like we’re leaving here with just as many questions as we walked in with,” said Leslie Whitehead of La Quinta.
One parent, Jerry Olearnick, had the opposite reaction, “I think he (Dr. Wilson) did what he could do. The investigation is till on going, so he needs to keep it general.”
Waters was among those who attended the meeting. She’s demanding change in order to prevent this kind of incident from happening again, including hiring more staff.
Currently, six administrators and six security guards overlook 2,700 students who share one lunch, where most bully incidents occur, according to Wilson.
Wilson is introducing the idea of ‘parent volunteers’, who are tasked to supervise students before and after school and during lunch. Meanwhile, some parents are asking for tougher enforcement.
“I think stricter enforcement to make it very clear to the students. These are the guidelines for suspension, this is what’s going to be expulsion,” said Whitehead.
Wilson said the school has to follow the California education code.
“Parents, in general, will never really know what happens to a particular kid, so that’s a point of frustration for parents, so that’s why the impression may be that it’s not strict enough,” Wilson said.
Parents and staff are hopeful that they can put a stop to violence on campus.
“What I was hoping was really to affect a change and to show my daughter and other kids that you can turn the wheels of social justice yourself if it’s necessary,” Water said.
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