From Issue 6, Published March 13, 2015

Throw a Punch: Pay the Price
A look at the school policy on fighting

Though mentioned in detail under the Suspension and Expulsion (p. 8) section of the student handbook, many students still are not sure exactly what constitutes a fight, what punishment they might face, etc.
It is helpful to compare the way the administration handles fights to a court case.
“Everything is handled case-by-case because everyone is different,” said Assistant Principal Kyle Neukam.
Each incident is unique, containing different people and different scenarios. This means the way the administration has to mold the punishment around both the event and the people involved, is unique. It is possible individuals involved in a conflict will receive different penalties for their involvement. A big factor in determining how to discipline a student’s behavior is history.
“If someone has a pattern or a history of having bad behavior, that does come into play. The other one, maybe, it’s the first time they’ve ever done anything along those lines,” said Neukam.
The administration does their best to handle each and every situation in a fair, appropriate way.
“You would think that since they both hit each other, that it would be fair for them to be treated the same. But that’s not consistent, because the other kid has been in numerous fights, has caused trouble, or has been suspended. It’s much different, so you can’t hold that consistent factor with them,” said Neukam.
Students vocally threaten other students, which is also a cause for concern. When those types of conflicts are reported to the administration, they take immediate action.
“If we hear that a student said ‘I’m going to do something to that student’, then we bring them up, we talk to them and may even give parents notification and let them know that their child has been warned,” said Neukam.
The student is warned of the possible consequences for their actions, in the hope those actions will not be carried out.
“We sit there and talk with them, and tell them that we know what their plan is. If they do this, if they carry it out, then they are going to be expelled,” said Neukam.
If the conflict is serious enough, then the possibility of police involvement is not entirely out of the question. If it is required, then the administration will seek it out.
“If this is serious, then we’re going to call law enforcement, which is one of the reasons why we put the school resource officer in the building this year. That way, when we have those conflicts, then the officer can take them off campus and get them to the police station,” said Neukam.
If the student is under 18, then the police are not allowed to lock them up in a cell.
“The school resource officer, therefore, has to sit with them,” said Neukam.

Story by Chase Meehan