Hundreds of students, teachers and parents filed into Rush-Henrietta Senior High School for the second night in a row Sept. 30 to demand improvements around school safety.
They stood behind two microphones in single file lines that snaked down both aisles of the high school auditorium. Their concerns were the same: After a classroom brawl left one student hospitalized and sent the school into a lockdown Sept. 24, they wanted to know how school officials plan to discipline students and address reports of drug use in school bathrooms.
As they spoke, Superintendent Barbara Mullen leaned forward in her chair to listen. Then, she responded.
"This was not an isolated incident," she told the crowd. "This was the seventh fight inside our senior high school
this year. It was the third fight in three days. That is a pattern and it happened on my watch. I am the superintendent of this district and the safety of our schools is my responsibility."
RH to hire more security, install metal detectors after fight
Mullen outlined a plan from school leaders that includes hiring more security staff and counselors, installing metal detectors and phone pouches and improving communication with students and families during emergencies. She said students who repeatedly break school rules will be punished within state guidelines.
Sept. 30's meeting followed a restorative circle format, a conflict resolution technique that focuses on building dialogue. Community members were encouraged to ask questions and administrators answered in real time. Mediators from the M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence helped ease the tension in the room.
But the damage is still fresh and many speakers ― students and parents alike ― told school officials they have lost their trust. Some called for a vote of no confidence against Mullen or for board members to resign.
Mullen acknowledged the fractures that exist. "Trust will come from what you can check, not from what I promise today," she said.
The district will launch a website next week that will track the progress of commitments under the safety plan. It will be updated every Friday. Administrators are meeting with student leaders Oct. 1 and also committed to hosting a second community safety forum in coming weeks.
"When something is done, you will see it," Mullen said. "When something slips, you will see that too, and why."
― Kayla Canne covers community safety for the Democrat and Chronicle with a focus on immigration, police accountability, government surveillance and how people are impacted by violence. Follow her on Instagram @bykaylacanne. Get in touch at kcanne@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Rush-Henrietta promises safety changes after 7 fights
