Dozens of Rush-Henrietta high school students staged a walkout Sept. 28 after a classmate was hospitalized the week before following a fight at the school.
The fight triggered a 40-minute lockdown on Sept. 24 after a staff member thought they heard a gunshot. The Monroe County Sheriff's Office responded to the high school, confirmed there were no weapons involved and cleared the scene.
District officials said the fight was pre-arranged and involved a student who was not permitted on campus that day. The district increased security and made counselors available for students.
Shabbar Zaidi, a senior, said last week's fight wasn't the first this year ― and he believes students face few consequences for other behavioral issues like vaping in the bathroom.
"We feel there's a lack of discipline from the administration, a lack of care from the administration, for the students' well-being," he said outside of the high school Monday.
Zaidi said the problems affect students who aren't involved, too, especially when rumors start to fly. He had a hard time discerning what was true about last week's fight. The district, he said, has since become a target for racist online commentary.
"I can't trust anything right now," Zaidi said. He called on administrators to "finally do something about this, because it's been too long enough. We're tired. We're hurt. And we're unsafe."
Some RH families say the incident has reignited concerns about student safety and discipline. The district invited community members to attend the Board of Education meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 29, as well as a community safety forum at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 30.
District officials said they cannot release information about discipline involving individual students because of privacy requirements. No criminal charges have been announced, and the status of the hospitalized student was unclear Sept. 28. Police previously said he had a possible head injury.
Students describe fear during Rush-Henrietta lockdown
Another student, Zoe Bush, described the lockdown as "terrifying." She said her classroom was two doors down from the fight. Unsure of what was happening, her teacher started praying as they huddled together in a dark classroom.
"We thought that if somebody came through the door, they were going to kill us," Bush, a sophomore, said. "We were listening for gunshots in the hallway. We could hear the police running past."
RH Superintendent Barbara Mullen acknowledged that fear in a letter to families Sept. 27. The district has invited concerned community members to speak at the regularly scheduled Board of Education meeting Sept. 29 or a special community safety forum being held Sept. 30.
"We want to hear from you as we make improvements for the short term and future," she wrote.
The district also allowed students to walk out Sept. 28 and had administrators monitor the protest. A handful of parents also showed up and have been organizing surveys to collect feedback online.
"I think it's pretty sad that most of these children are desensitized to the type of violence that they see in school and on social media," said Deana Jackson, whose daughter is a sophomore at the high school. "This isn't normal ... Fights shouldn't be happening every day. Students should be receiving consequences. And nobody should be put in a hospital for any reason."
― 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 students walk out over school safety
