Big Fight at Nova/World School Yesterday
From the Stranger Slog:
A Central District high school was locked down yesterday afternoon as police responded to reports that a former student and suspected gang member had assaulted several peers and had allegedly pulled a gun on one student.
Students from Nova High school and the World School, a multilingual school for newly arrived immigrant and refugee students that shares space with Nova, were locked into the building at around 2:30 p.m. yesterday, after teens reported seeing a bloody, brass-knuckle-fueled fight between at least four high school students on the schools' playfield.
"A 14-year-old student who used to go to the World School had basically been kicked out and was going to Chief Sealth school, but he wanted to be re-admitted and the principal had turned down his request," confirms Teresa Whipple, a spokeswoman for SPS. "He’d apparently shown up at the school to confront some students. He said they were spreading rumors that were keeping him out of the school."
The former student, with an older friend, came to school and confronted a couple of students about talking about him on Facebook. He then started hitting one student with brass knuckles.
At some point, the suspect pulled a gun on another student. That student got away but the suspect and his friend told the remaining students that he and his friend were part of a Salvadoran gang and would come back.
The three victims declined medical attention. A search failed to unearth the suspects or a firearm. Because of the district's no weapons policy, "the 14-year-old has been long-term expelled from Sealth until the police investigation is complete and we understand what his role was," Whipple says. "We won’t make any final decisions until that’s done."
A Central District high school was locked down yesterday afternoon as police responded to reports that a former student and suspected gang member had assaulted several peers and had allegedly pulled a gun on one student.
Students from Nova High school and the World School, a multilingual school for newly arrived immigrant and refugee students that shares space with Nova, were locked into the building at around 2:30 p.m. yesterday, after teens reported seeing a bloody, brass-knuckle-fueled fight between at least four high school students on the schools' playfield.
"A 14-year-old student who used to go to the World School had basically been kicked out and was going to Chief Sealth school, but he wanted to be re-admitted and the principal had turned down his request," confirms Teresa Whipple, a spokeswoman for SPS. "He’d apparently shown up at the school to confront some students. He said they were spreading rumors that were keeping him out of the school."
The former student, with an older friend, came to school and confronted a couple of students about talking about him on Facebook. He then started hitting one student with brass knuckles.
At some point, the suspect pulled a gun on another student. That student got away but the suspect and his friend told the remaining students that he and his friend were part of a Salvadoran gang and would come back.
The three victims declined medical attention. A search failed to unearth the suspects or a firearm. Because of the district's no weapons policy, "the 14-year-old has been long-term expelled from Sealth until the police investigation is complete and we understand what his role was," Whipple says. "We won’t make any final decisions until that’s done."
Comments
Kristin
NW parent
The school has resumed regular classes and activities.
District security will have a presence at the building for the coming days.
TS
The article mentions he was selling to middle and high school students. The dealer was at 67th and 15th and Ballard is at 65th and 15th.
SPS should get a program like FLASH to talk to kids about this before middle school.
CJ
signed,
Laughing my ass off
Is the security presence at Nova/World school something new?
Should there not be that presence EVERY DAY?
There would be if our daughter attended there.
I think all the comprehensive high schools have security officers. BUT, they are not armed (of course) and, if the students leave the premises, they cannot go after them.
A few of the high schools do have a police officer assigned. There used to be a community officer at nearly all the high schools (and they would rotate in the area with the middle schools) but the City ran out of money for that.
Having an officer that regularly visits the building, making connections with kids, is invaluable in many ways.
Now that we are going to have both a new mayor AND a new police chief, I plan on asking all the candidates what their commitment to safety at schools will look like under their administration. (I was allowed into the press conferences for police chief candidates last round and I asked them about school security in their cities. All except Diaz had very good answers.)