Fights prompt parents
to pull 150 from school
BY JOSH DAVIDSON
Staff Writer
MIDDLETOWN — Police were on patrol at High School North last week following parental concerns over rumors of students bringing guns to the school.
Parents of about 150 students at North signed their children out of school May 19 following rumors that guns were going to be brought to the school by out-of-district students. The rumor started days after another rumor that two recent fights between students had been racially motivated.
Both rumors are untrue, said township police Detective Sgt. Joseph Capriotti.
The first fight, between one black male and one white male, took place May 17 and began over something said about a female student, he said.
The next day, another black male fought another white male over what happened the day before, he said.
Police became involved after the second fight when they were told that one of the students involved was taken to Riverview Medical Center, Red Bank, Capriotti said. That student was treated and released with injuries to his mouth.
Both students involved in the second fight fled the school, but one of them was charged with aggravated assault and released to the custody of his parents. Capriotti said would not say which student was charged.
All four students are juveniles.
"As a result of the second fight, there were rumors around the school that people from outside of the school were going to bring in guns," Capriotti said.
The rumors concerned parents and police, and 150 students were signed out of the school by their parents on May 19, he said. About 1,660 students attend the school.
Police investigated the rumors and found them to be untrue, he said.
"There was no credibility to them at all," he said. "I don’t know where the rumors began or how they gained the momentum they gained, but there was no truth to them at all."
Rumors of students bringing weapons to school are uncommon in the district, he said. Police were very concerned and investigated them immediately, he said.
Police interviewed witnesses to the second fight, as well their friends and family members, in order to determine if those involved in that fight were associated with any gangs or had access to guns, he said. The purpose was to see what may have caused the rumors, he said.
"We couldn’t find anything related to anyone bringing guns to school," he said.
Officers were stationed inside and outside of the school from May 19 until May 21. There were no further problems reported at the school, he said.
"Everything is calm and everything is fine," High School North Principal Barry Goldstein said. "Everything was fine on Thursday and Friday. The officers weren’t here because of the rumors; they were just here to assure everyone that everything is fine."
The rumors about race problems and guns at the school became blown out of proportion after the two fights, Goldstein said.
Officers were prepared to defend against any violence, but found no credible evidence that any would take place, Capriotti said. The main reason they are there is to ensure parents that the schools are safe, he added.
Capriotti said he is unsure how race came in to play.
Neither fight originated from a racially biased incident, he said. Race could have possibly become an issue after the two incidents when friends began to choose sides, he said, adding that it is possible that racial boundaries were drawn after friends of the four fighting students chose sides.
"But we have determined that there is no bias crime," he said. "It’s an assault; that’s what it was."
The students who took an active role in the fighting will be suspended for nine days, in accordance to the district’s zero-tolerance rules against fighting, Goldstein said.
Because some parents decided to sign their children out after the fights, those students who were signed out will not be marked absent, he said.
The school already takes a proactive approach to promote tolerance and assemblies will continue throughout the year, he said.
Goldstein sent a letter to parents assuring them that the school is safe.
"I hope that, through the letter and our efforts, parents understand the school is a safe environment for our children," he said.