Saturday, June 18, 2005
Silverado High's school year ends in violence, lockdown
By GRETCHEN LOSI and KATHERINE ROSENBERG/Staff Writers
VICTORVILLE - Violence erupted at Silverado High School on Friday and
students spent the last hours of their school year in lockdown.
Capt. Glen Pratt of the Victorville sheriff's station said his
department received a call that a teacher had been struck while
attempting to stop a fight among the school's students.
"This happens a lot this time of the year. Everybody's ready for summer
to start," Pratt said. "A teacher was hit while trying to break up the
fight."
Details of the incident vary between law enforcement and school
officials.
Principal Susan Levine said the school was locked down after a student
threatened a teacher with a stick and fled.
"He jumped the fence so we locked down the campus," Levine said.
Others say they witnessed the fight and it was between two groups of
students - blacks and Hispanics.
"We saw (Hispanics and blacks) fighting and then we had the lockdown. I
don't know how many were involved but there were a lot," student John
Hernandez said. "It was a racial riot, like always."
Hernandez said rumors of an impending fight between the two groups have
been floating around campus all week.
"We knew it was coming. It wasn't as bad as we thought it was going to
be."
Silverado has had a school year riddled with fights, often among
Hispanic and black students.
After two such incidents in October, Levine sent home a letter
informing parents that 100 of the school's 3,400 students would be
suspended or expelled. In February, school administrators estimated
that up to 100 students would face suspension after a fight between two
group of students erupted on campus.
There were no reports of any arrests after Friday's incidents
.
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