FROM STAFF REPORTS
Three staff members at Statesville High School were injured while trying to break up a large fight inside the school on Friday morning.
Iredell-Statesville Schools Superintendent Jeff James said numerous students will face criminal charges and long-term suspensions as a result of their involvement in the altercation.
All Statesville High students were sent home for the day after the fight “to ensure campus safety,” James said.
Statesville Police Chief David Onley told Iredell Free News that about 15 officers, including members of the command staff, responded to the school between 9:30 and 10 a.m. to assist school staff and the on-campus resource officers after the fight began.
The superintendent said three staff members sustained minor injuries while trying to break up the fight.
The students who were involved — most of whom were female students — were finally separated and moved into separate areas, Onley said.
The fight was captured on video.
Following an investigation by the SPD, nine juveniles are being charged with various offenses, including disorderly conduct, disorderly conduct by fighting, assault on school employees, communicating threats, simple assault and failure to disperse on command.
Charges vary for each juvenile based on their involvement in the incident, Onley said.
The superintendent said the district would hold all of the students who were involved accountable for their actions.
“All will be dealt with to the fullest extent of discipline and the law,” James said.
Contrary to some social media reports, there were no weapons involved in the altercation, Onley said.
The names of all individuals involved are were withheld by the SPD due to their status as juveniles.
This incident is still under investigation. Anyone with information about this case is encouraged to contact the Statesville Police Department at 704-878-3515.
Those involved need to be expelled from the school. Why has the school become such a gangland? Someone needs to take control of the school before it closes.
There is not a difficult solution. I was in the 8th grade in 1959. My teacher told us on the 1st day of school to bring our Bible to school the next day and every day we started each day with reading the Bible and he prayed. During the year we had to memorize different verses and we always would sing Amazing Grace and other great hymns. We can blame all the mess we now have on the Federal Government for taking away the privileges we had back in the 50’s & 60’s.
Goes to show they have no respect for themselves or others. School is for learning; many parents just let them do what they want and think they will be in trouble with DSS for correcting their child. Kids have no structure these days, and parents don’t want to deal with them. We always had boundaries in our home. If you crossed the line, you got everything taken and a butt whipping. Don’t be afraid of your child. Teach them there are consequences for their actions. They all should get a charge for hurting someone. This is ridiculous and SAD. PARENTS TAKE NOTICE.
This is not the first bad fight this school year…a kid was hospitalized and had shoe prints on his face a few months ago…fights are always breaking out it seems like. I have a daughter that attends this school and she’s there for a good proper education and she’s a great kid and student. I don’t want my innocent child corrupted by this nonsense anymore! She doesn’t even want to go to school because of fights and drama since starting here this year; she’s asked me to change her school so she doesn’t have to be around all this, but this is her district. Sad. I feel like it’s way past time to get ahold of this! If a student cusses a teacher, they go to Pressley; if they make a threat they go to Pressley. If they start a fight, they should get OSS for the full school year and have to do the online home school program. Let their parents figure it out be cause us good parents with good students and kids are sick of fearing our kids will be in the wrong place at the wrong time or just the stress that our kids focus from school learning. It’s a huge issue! It needs to be addressed. No parent should have to worry for their child’s safety while at school, and no student should have to fear the school they attend or not be able to get the education they came there for due to fights, gangs in the school and drama. Do something please! If you have to reach out in the community for help but please make some changes now for my daughter and all other good students there to learn and for the staff and teachers sakes. They are not there to be guards; they are there to educate and they shouldn’t have to fear what’s next neither.
Private, charter, religious and home schools are the only real options to ensure safety.
“The names of all individuals involved are were withheld by the SPD due to their status as juveniles.” This line says it all. The parents or guardians of all juveniles should be held accountable for the actions of the individual. Jail time, fines, community service or whatever period!
As a student at the early college in statesville, even I’m scared to attend school. I was told I couldn’t wear the prom dress I chose my junior year because it’s red, and if I wear red then I’m in some form of a gang and my security is threatened. Crossroads school color is red! I’m thankful to spend as much time off campus as I possibly can. I don’t want to get into a fight when I’m just trying to get to class. We need more discipline. We need more officers or something or someone to hold these kids accountable please!
It will continue to get worse because there’s no consequences for people’s actions. If these people are old enough to fight like animals, then they are old enough to have their names released.
This is why students don’t want to go to Statesville High and are choosing other out-of-district options. Do you blame them? I don’t.
Times have changed for the worse: inmates run the jails, students run the schools, and employees run the business. Discipline is not allowed anywhere anymore so this is the outcome!