AnonymousBy an edhat reader
My kids were sent a video of a fight between students at their school (La Colina) this afternoon. It’s awful (punching and kicking) and apparently happened right in front of the school office. I haven’t received any email updates from the school. Come to think of it, every time they come home and tell me about a fight or kids getting expelled for drug use on campus we never hear about it from the school.
Thoughts from other parents? Shouldn’t schools be more accountable to keep parents informed vs viral videos?
Fear of the ACLU.
I remember my big after school brawl on The Hill. Class of 1976 La Colina JH. Glory Days. lol
Fights and drug suspensions happened all the time when I was in junior high (in Orange County) in the early 1970’s and my parents never heard about it. I think that is normal.
Teachers unions don’t want current enrollments threatened. No sense alarming parents who might seek out a private or charter school, which would reduce their funding.
Kids parents should press charges.
When I attended Santa Barbara Jr. High (late ’60s) it was all about the girl fights. High entertainment. You would think the school officials and teachers would have a bit more control now and that bullying would be less prevalent.
Back in the day you didn’t report anything like this to teachers or the Dean or whomever. Kids were bullied; fact of life. Now, kids are more protected from the mean kids or at least they should be. The adults only have so much they can do. In our litigious society, all must tread lightly.
Coincidence? I sent the superintendent an email and 15 minutes later got an email via ParentSquare from the school Principal.
And adults, not just you, are still reminiscing about how entertaining girl fights were… Right. Sure. Whatever. Can’t guys get enough of that now on tv?! Sheesh, you have female wrestlers and MMA fighters.
Again, who are you thinking to press charges against? The school for allowing this to happen (good luck)? Or the kid(s) who were involved in the fight (give them a juvie record)? The kids(s)’ parents (again, good luck)? I’m just curious.
To say fighting like this was common back in the day and call it entertaining is part of the problem. This behavior is unacceptable and isn’t serving these kids at all. Where do you think this type of aggressive action is going to get them? We owe it to our children to learn from the past and do better.
There are multiple videos of this particular fight, but the one I saw shows the kid on the ground getting kicked in the head 4 times. 4 TIMES. And the one kicking him was suspended for fighting the day before winter break. That’s unacceptable. This fight was apparently started because the kid getting beat up mouthed off. A different fight this month, between girls, was because one said something that upset another about a friend. So is the lesson here that when someone offends you, you have the right to beat the sh!t out of them? When things don’t go your way, just act out aggressively? Is that what we want to teach our 12 and 13 year olds? This obviously won’t work in the adult world. Our kids deserve better, and honestly, our community deserves better.
At 7th & 8th grade, the only thing these kids should be doing is learning and growing. That’s it. Going to school and being afraid that you’re going to get beat up or watch your friend get beat up is an anxiety-ridden distraction.
As for the kids filming it…I’m guessing that most of them are completely scared and processing that the fight is going on in the first place. They’re not large adults, able to break up fights. They’re still young children. It’s the adults’ place (school staff in this case) to address all the students to explain why this is unacceptable, and how it leads to absolutely nothing but trouble and negative attention.
And just my opinion, but suspension needs to be rethought. Is staying home from school effective at this age? It only slightly inconveniences the parents. Perhaps implementing cleaning up a park or local hiking trail is the way to go – lots of trash and dog poop to be picked up. Put them to work doing something that is so unpleasant that they will rethink things the next time they feel like beating someone up. Make a parent attend so that they miss work and are affected on a more substantial level.
On an accountability front, the videos serve as a good source for who was the aggressor and who is trying to defend themselves. They should be reviewed by the district to properly address the issue and maybe put in a request for more adult supervision on campuses with a higher number of incidents. I imagine there are lawsuits over this where the district has to pay out. Why not get ahead of it financially and preventively? It might help for a district leader to visit each school and explain the consequences to all the children. Simply put – if you do this, this is the consequence. If you do this twice, this is the consequence – until expulsion.
I’ll be sending my thoughts to the Superintendent as well. Thanks to whoever posted that as a suggestion.
BTW, this is actually the 4th fight this year that I’m aware of at LC. No mention from the principal about any of them except for this one – maybe I missed them though?? An email just came in from Mr. Ortiz, and I’m guessing it is partly due to this forum and parents contacting the superintendent. I compared it to one from another local middle school and it’s pretty much the same – seems like a template. This obviously is a reoccurring issue. Maybe we should figure out ways to get ahead of the problem.
He has been there when fights start, ongoing for last three years my kids have been there. Obviously his plan isn’t working, so that’s why I went up a notch. In my experience, if you’ve witnessed the chain of command not working, then you need to go up a level to get results. And as a fed up parent and a principal that is retiring in 5 months, yes I went straight to the top.
And? Did the superintendent have a plan to put an end to pre-adolescent kids fighting?
No they do not. The buses wait on foothill.
I sure you would know my name. We probably watched the same fights/or dubie after school on the Hill by the Log. lol
– what makes me sick is the kids who took a video – or silently watched- ?
Fights are a daily occurrence on most of the school campuses and adults don’t usually know about it. My kids all went to san marcos and said it was part of school life, as well as kids getting arrested regularly for drugs. Parents are never informed, we like to think that school is a nice, safe place for our kids, not true!
As for the kids who watched and filmed it, THEY are disgusting! Should have done something to stop it.
Kids have been fighting at school forever. The only reason parents are now getting involved is because these fights are being memorialized and sharhair-pulling and ed on cellphone cameras, and parents are getting to see these events for themselves. When I attended La Cumbre JHS way back in the last century, fights weren’t common, but they did occur. As noted elsewhere in this thread, the girl fights were far more entertaining, featuring slapping, hair-pulling and swearing. Kind of like a junior version of the Jerry Springer Show, without chair-throwing. I don’t recall ever seeing any kind of racially based fighting at La Cumbre. It was pretty much always Anglo vs. Anglo(s), or Latino vs. Latino(s). Good times!
I am sure more than one person was already getting help. Also, if it took place in front of the office, I am sure administrators saw what was happening and responded quickly. Video taping can be a very positive thing, especially if it was actually a one-sided attack on a potentially special needs child. This can help the victim’s parents if they want to press charges, or help the school determine the instigator/bully in the situation so the correct person is held accountable.
Ain’t that the way these days! It IS disgusting!
What was so offensive about me asking what charges the kids’ parents are supposed to file? Am I missing something?
My daughter goes to LCJH and she told me about the fight, not the first one and right in front of the office. Again. When my son was there the last two years this was happening then as well. So I hope any other LCJH parents leaving comments on this thread ALSO send a message or two to the Superintendent, Cary Matsuoka, and demand answers and results. Invite your LCJH parents to also send emails of concern: cmatsuoka@sbunified.org or Lauren Bianchi Klemann, PIO, lbianchiklemann@sbunified.org. Maybe they should focus more on these issues and less on sending me nasty letters when my kid is home sick with 103 fever and severe congesting and coughing for five days!
This is not the first fight in front of the school office this school year and not the first one since my kids have been going there. Where is the leadership & authority making sure the fights don’t happen? It is disgusting that kids are just standing there watching/video rolling so they can post on Snapchat.
SFG3 – what do you propose the school does to prevent fights?
Parents are uniting at FairEducation.org and at SMHigh. SBUSD does not respond; or is biased in its response. There is an Administrative Agenda with SBUSD Execs and Principal at La Colina in on taking Alinsky control of our local public schools . Please choose to unite with other parents. All children are our gold. They deserve safety, equitable opportunity, and community advocacy.
It needs to go beyond SBUSD to Court.
Citizens for Neighbood Schools: get 20-40 local retirees & other parents to agree to take a day or shift. Teachers welcome watchful eyes. SBUSD does not.
It is only going to get worse as SBUSD divides students into identity groups with $1.3 of your tax dollars. Contact info@FairEducation.com
His SBUSD Plan is working: divide kids into identity groups to let kids and our community fight it out. There’s 100% Support from 5 Trustees elected by voting majority who desires divide and conquer. Stand up. Make others aware.
Contact info@FairEducation.org — the worse is yet to come unless you’re part of SB Voting Majority, employed by SBUSD to empower versus instruct students, or are an Alinsky Operative. California Parents Sue to Block ‘Inclusivity’ Instruction in Schools https://www.theepochtimes.com/california-parents-sue-to-block-inclusivity-trainings-in-schools_2785338.html
Alinsky again, eh?
Fair Education’s Mission: ” On behalf of students, teachers, parents and taxpayers, we advocate for fair, unbiased, transparent, and non political education policies within the Santa Barbara Unified School District (SBUSD).”
==================================================
I’d like more information, please. I realize I have to read their lawsuit: =================
http://www.faireducation.org/Lawsuit.html
=======================================================
In short, Fair Education is against diversity, inclusion and implicit bias programs. No thank you.
So — conservatives are not “part of SB Voting Majority.” So we get it. Again, using Alinsky and a label like ” an Alinsky Operative” isn’t really helping your cause.
What is “Alinsky control”?
10:37 PM – It’s just another label used by dimwit right-wing conspiracy types.