GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – A fight broke out at Preble High School on Monday, the same day that Green Bay Area Public School District officials rolled out their new safety and security protocols.
The district sent out a note to Preble families saying the fight was in the school’s commons area and involved three students. It stemmed from a verbal conflict according to the district. Local 5 News saw up to three Green Bay Police squad cars (plus the school resource officer’s vehicle) at Preble High School on Monday afternoon.
The fight comes on the same day that the district rolled out its new safety and security protocols which included stricter consequences for students who engage in unsafe acts at school like fighting.
In the note to Preble families, district officials said that on Monday students reviewed this video discussing how the district will handle students who do things like fight or bring guns to school.
The new policies include a minimum multi-day suspension and warns students that law enforcement will likely get involved. For more information about these policies, please click here.
GBAPS superintendent Vicki Bayer said she still believes these polices will deter students even after the fight broke out at Preble on Monday.
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“I think the key is the follow through demonstrating very clearly that we take this seriously,” Bayer said. “Students involved in the fight will be the first ones that go through it. Long term we’re going to see the impact that this is an effective deterrent.”
District officials stress that they continue to work with students on addressing conflict appropriately. They also want parents to have conversations with their kids.
The district’s push for new safety and security protocols comes after officers found a loaded gun in a student’s backpack inside a locked classroom at Preble High School. Officers say that student had been involved in a fight at school that same day.
The incident prompted the school district to implement a clear backpack policy as part of these safety and security measures that took effect on Monday. It’s for all sixth through twelfth grade students district wide.
Also on Monday at the school’s regularly scheduled board meeting, several community members outlined their wish lists in terms of things they would like to see the school district implement to make the schools safer. Many people say they’d like to see things like metal detectors, weapon detection systems, entry point management programs, and more police officers at the schools.
“Every tragedy prevented in our community will be worth every ounce of effort we put in and every single penny we spend,” said Preble parent Nicole Strohman.
Others would like to see the district address the root causes that lead to students making poor decisions like fighting or bringing a gun to school.
“We believe with stronger mental health resources and a positive culture we can begin to strategize on how this will not happen again,” said Chanel Leopold who is the president of the Intra-City Student Council.
“There is a disconnect between the students and teachers,” said Michael Fisher who is a community advocate. “They weaponize the police, that student resource officer, it’s hey I’m going to get that student resource officer (instead of how can I help you out).”
Speakers also agreed that the district needs to address bullying which they say can cause students to make unsafe decisions like starting fights or bringing weapons to school for their protection. One student who spoke at the board meeting said he’d experienced severe bullying and felt like the district fell short when it came to supporting him.
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School board members also received feedback and suggestions on safety and security measures at a community roundtable at Preble last week. District staff will use a rubric to review and potentially grade all the community suggestions and then present their findings to the board at their Oct. 13 meeting. The board could then decide what measures they’d like to implement.
District officials said they know that the clear-bag policy isn’t a perfect solution, but said they needed to do something quickly to make their schools safer. The vast majority of students that Local 5 News saw at Preble High School on Monday afternoon were using clear backpacks.
Local 5 News spoke with several parents and students about the new policy and got mixed reviews.
Those who don’t like the policy said it violates their privacy because people can see all the items in their backpack. Some students think that a weapon could still get hidden inside the backpack even if it’s see through.
A group of Preble High School students started a petition opposing the backpack policy that has nearly 700 signatures.
“We’ve been speaking to the intra-city student council that’s our main method for getting a feel for how students are experiencing any changes or things they have concerns about,” superintendent Bayer told Local 5 News. “(In terms of) privacy, through donations we’ve provided the privacy pouches for both boys and girls.”
Leopold, the intra-city student council president, emphasized that students need to be involved when making these decisions on safety and security upgrades.
