Posted on 10/17/2006 5:57:15 AM PDT by radar101
"If my son got suspended why are all these kids not suspended?" asks Sandra Ball after she was called to pick up her son Anthony, 16, from Fontana High School, Monday.
School officials in Fontana are exploring ways to combat racial tension and safety concerns in the district after hundreds of students fought at Fontana High School on Friday. Twelve city police officers will be patrolling Fontana High this week in addition to school police already stationed there. The district has also brought on more security staff to monitor other high school and middle school campuses.
Police have said that 500 students were involved in Friday's brawl. District Superintendent Jane Smith put the number at 150 to 200, noting that many bystanders to the melee did not participate in the violence.
"Any kids is too many, and I'm not saying it was no big deal," Smith said. "It was huge."
Fontana police spokesman Doug Wagner said police have not determined whether the fighting was gang-related.
Though Fontana High was mostly quiet Monday, three students were arrested, one for throwing rocks and the other two for being "mouthy" and confrontational, Wagner said.
One adult and five teens were arrested Friday in relation to the fighting, Wagner said.
The adult was sent to West Valley Detention Center and the juveniles were released to their parents, cited or sent to San Bernardino Juvenile Hall.
Some students at Fontana High say race relations have been strained at the predominantly Latino school, where they say there are weekly fights.
"It's basically like prison," said 16-year-old Anthony Ball, who on Monday was suspended for five days. "All the Hispanics sit at one table and all the blacks at another table."
He said he has friends of mixed races, but at school, people of different races keep to themselves.
Anthony was in the weight room during his first period physical education class when security officials pulled him out and brought him to the administrative office.
"They said I was suspended for safety reasons," he said. "I didn't do anything."
He said on Friday he was pulled into the melee unwillingly.
"Either you were going to fight or get hit," he said. "That's the way it went down."
Anthony's mother, Sandra Ball, was furious at lunchtime Monday when she picked up her son from school. She pulled her younger son, 14-year-old Laquan Ball, out of school as well because she was worried for the safety of both boys, she said.
"I don't teach my sons this racial stuff," she said. "They're trying to make an example out of my son."
Sandra Ball also criticized the school's communication with the parents.
"They haven't had anything for us," she said. "No calls, no nothing. The only piece of paper I got from them is one saying my son was suspended."
District officials said they called Fontana High parents using an automated phone system to inform them about what had happened Friday.
Sophomore Taleeb Alexander said the threat of violence has been building on and off campus.
"I'm the only African American in all six of my classes," he said. "Sometimes it can be really uncomfortable due to all the racial tension."
Geovanny Arreola, 14, who is Latino, said he also wasn't surprised by violence at the school.
"It makes me sad (because) my people got hurt," he said. "The police got really violent with the Hispanics, and with everyone."
He translated for his mother, Maria Arreola, who was speaking Spanish.
"I got scared," she said. "I didn't want him to go to school. I want him to move, to go to another school that is more safe."
To address race relations and safety at Fontana High, administrators and Smith met Monday with student leaders at the school.
One idea that came from the talks will be realized immediately. Starting this week, students will be able to call an anonymous tip line to report any threatening or suspicious behavior. The tip line number was not available late Monday.
District officials are considering forming committees of teachers, students and parents to talk about relations between races.
They are also considering asking students to wear identification cards on a lanyard on campus.
The district is considering a longer-term solution of expediting construction on plans for a new high school, Smith said.
Arlene Piazza, board clerk for the school district, said a new high school would alleviate crowding at existing schools and teachers would be more aware of students' feelings and more successful in preventing violence. About 4,200 attend Fontana High, Smith said.
Smith said district staff were not aware before Friday that race relations at the school were so strained.
"School officials felt that the school prided itself on being culturally diverse and having a high level of good human relations," Smith said. "But we now feel that work is going to have to be done on this area."
Smith said though it is hard to tell what factors contributed most to last week's fight, she hopes the district will address issues outside race relations, including crowded high schools and students who lack enough credits to graduate.
Smith said though graduation prospects "may have nothing to do with" Friday's events, students who have no hope of finishing school "lose their school spirit and their sense of purpose."
School board member Kathy Binks said Friday's brawl is forcing the district to re-evaluate how it treats race relations.
"You can always do more than what you're doing, especially when something of this magnitude is brought to your attention," she said.
But she added that, "The first teachers that kids have are the parents in the home setting. And like I've said, we can't try to change what they've been taught, or what parents have overlooked, or what they haven't learned for 14, 15, 16, 18 years.
"We're all in this together."
"It makes me sad (because) my people got hurt," he said. "The police got really violent with the Hispanics, and with everyone."
He translated for his mother, Maria Arreola, who was speaking Spanish.
STEP #!--LEARN ENGLISH.
"It makes me sad (because) my people got hurt," he said. "The police got really violent with the Hispanics, and with everyone."
He translated for his mother, Maria Arreola, who was speaking Spanish.
"I got scared," she said. "I didn't want him to go to school. I want him to move, to go to another school that is more safe."
Somehow, Maria, I suspect that whatever school your son goes to, will become less safe due solely to his attendance.
Yet another reason that I don't send my kids to government schools. These kids will "graduate" without basic skills like reading and writing and will be resigned to a life of manual labor and prison. Not a bright future, but my kids will always need someone to work in the mail room and run the trash compactor.
Owl_Eagle
If what I just wrote made you sad or angry,
it was probably just a joke.
"Missing from this article:"
Who gives a good GD about stuff like this?
We got insane madmen out to annhillate even small children and some lamebrain has time for this?
Sandra,
Your son is going to die. And you will be partly responsible because you make excuses for his behavior.
But what about the Samoans?
Hey, isn't this the rumble that didn't really get going "until the Samoans showed up"? That was the funniest damn line I've ever heard.
Smith said though it is hard to tell what factors contributed most to last week's fight, she hopes the district will address issues outside race relations, including crowded high schools and students who lack enough credits to graduate. Smith said though graduation prospects "may have nothing to do with" Friday's events, students who have no hope of finishing school "lose their school spirit and their sense of purpose."
Who is to blame for students that don't have enough credit for graduation? Is it The Man who stands in the doorway of classes and prevents these 'children' from taking classes?
And if it had nothing to do with the riot, how will changing it (which school officials cannot do anyways) stop future riots?
Here's some thoughts - throw out any student who causes problems for a year. Try school uniforms to make gangs harder to identify with. Flunk students who aren't learning, and let them drop out if they want - at least those who remain will have a chance to learn.
Must be the white mans fault......Somehow
These people are clueless.
If a kid behaves poorly, throw him out.
(Of course it will decrease the amount of money the district receives.)
What, because this doesn't rise to the level of genocide that it's not worth your time? Then why did you bother to post? Remember, we ignore items like this at our peril.
Today's rock throwers are tomorrow's suicide murderers. The small stuff must be stopped at the smallest level.
It's this Multiculturalism idea these leftist loons keep trying to ram down peoples throats that isn't working.
Try teaching them to be Americans and respect traditional American culture,speak english, rather than promote the (failed) culture they left behind when they came here. Otherwize, all you end up promoting is tribalism, and segregated societies each demanding rights over the other until it explodes in violence.
"Must be the white mans fault....Somehow".Good point.A white majority isn't necessary anymore.It's refered to as "institutional racism".
"Laquan"? Where did THAT come from?
The fault of multi-culturalism?That's certainly a part of the problem,but i doubt anyone in authority will point that out.Libs are great at finger pointing-as long as it's someone elses fault.
This does'nt rise to any level of importance.
It is worse than trivial. It's a waste of cyber time.
It indicates a simple inability to sort out simple common sense issues associated with daily existence.
It is a tip off of mental illness.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.