On Wednesday, Jan. 31, at 1:46 p.m., administrators emailed OH families to inform them that a fight broke out during the fifth-to-sixth period transition, and one of the students pulled out a knife.
“The situation was under control quickly as students were separated[,] and our School Resource Officer immediately responded. There was no disruption to the school schedule as it was dissolved rapidly,” the email explained. “Police and school officials are taking this situation very seriously, conducting thorough investigations.”
Around that time, most students didn’t know the incident occurred until the email was sent out or heard about it from word of mouth.
“I was going to 6th period, collaborative PE, during the incident. I first found out about it from friends, and then the district administrators sent out an email home confirming that the fight happened and that there [was a weapon],” senior Madelyn Dittman said.
Others learned about the incident through the school’s effort to keep all students safe and minimize hallway traffic as they investigated the incident.
“I didn’t know about [the fight]; the only time I did know [something was going on] was because I walked out and was forced to go back to my class instead of using the bathroom,” said sophomore Lynn Ramirez.
While School Resource Officer (SRO) Tim Laurenzo was unavailable for comment prior to the time of publishing, OH Principal Christopher Grays sent out a follow-up email Thursday at 8:06 p.m. to reassure OH families about their safety and remind them of OH policies.
“I want to reassure you that we take the safety of our students and staff very seriously, and we are committed to an environment that is free from violence and intimidation. Violent behavior will not be tolerated here. Anyone who threatens the safety of our school will face consequences.”
Some students feel that student-related incidents that cause safety concerns are common and shared their lack of surprise with the situation, especially with similar incidents occurring at OH and OE in the past year.
“It’s just very violent. It’s sad that it feels average. It wasn’t shocking to hear about,” Ramirez said.
Gray’s email concluded with a positive note of community support, however. The email stated, “By working together as a community, we can ensure that OH remains a safe and nurturing environment for all. Thank you for your continued support in helping us uphold these standards.”
The email also encourages families to contact the school office with questions or concerns and utilize the safety page under the Student & Staff Services section of the SD308 district website.
Hello, I'm Gianna! This is my second year on staff, now as a senior in high school. I'm the head of the News and Artwork sections. I'm currently in Color Guard, B.I.O.N.I.C, NAHS, NEHS, Quill & Scroll Honors Society, and Senior Class Council!
