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Send a strong message and do not let them back in Guilford County Schools. We do not need kids fighting with brass knuckles on our campuses.

There are other ways to get an education..they can get one online, pay for private school, or get a GED. Maybe others will think first before coming to school for the purpose of fighting.

As a Grimsley parent, I am concerned and alarmed at the violence that was brought onto campus. Our first concern must be to make sure that Grimsley and our other schools are safe for children to attend. The rules regarding school violence, including the suspension policy, are there first and foremost to protect the students and staff. The community must respect those rules.

That said, I am also concerned that some of the students may have been charged too harshly. In particular, was it necessary to charge 8 of the 21 students as adults?

The mediation that the Hampton Homes parents have proposed is a good idea. It would also be a good idea to review the charges and school punishments against all of the students. However, in the end, many charges and suspensions will be necessary. Mediation should occur along side enforcement of the rules, not in place of it.

I'm glad to see that the community has finally stepped up to try to fix the problem. Maybe their efforts will prevent more fights in the future from occurring. However, for those who were involved in the December 14 fight - your punishment has been delivered to you - accept it and try to learn from it.

The school board CANNOT set an example here of overturning/suspending the punishments. Doing so will mean that every suspended student from now on will demand the same.

Discipline in this school system is almost non-existent. We don't need to risk the possibility of having it all disappear now.

I understand these parents advocating for their children. When they look at their children, they see their babies. I feel sad for these parents because I know that they have hopes and dreams for their children whom they have loved and nurtured.

My daughter is at Grimsley and she does not see babies. She sees "gangs." She saw the gang fight of 40 or so kids, she saw the gang signals preceding the fight, and ran the other direction to keep from getting hurt. The administration asked for eyewitnesses and my daughter decided not to make a report because she was afraid of retribution. Oddly enough, she's not so afraid now because she says she knows a couple of the "gang" kids from one of her classes and she said they would protect her if anyone tried to bother her. I've heard other white kids say the same thing. It's scary that these white kids perceive that their personal safety resides in people other than the administration. Earlier in the year, my daughter also saw the child who was beat up in the Grimsley bathroom. He came back to school. She said his head was beat up so badly that his jaw was wired shut--he was in the school cafeteria and unable to eat solid food.

So, do I think these children should be allowed to come back to Grimsley school? No. They can go to an alternative school or they can go to school at the church. I asked my daughter if she wants the expelled children coming back. She said no. When I asked her why she said, "because they're gang members and that's what they do: fight. It will happen again."

I just hope next time they don't have box cutters, knives and guns.

Uh, oh..I thought that mediation might be a reasonable option until I saw that Rev. Nelson Johnson was involved. That tells me all that I need to know.

The most important questions that need to be asked are:

Were schools rules broken?

If so, what is the punishment for breaking these rules?

Each student involved needs to be considered individually to determine the extent of his or her involvement and the consequences MUST be enforced. Guilford County Schools cannot start letting certain students go without consequences just because someone steps in to mediate. Every day many parents step in for their child. That is mediation. But rules must be enforced to maintain safety and order in a civil society. This is the real world.

As for those students who were arrested as adults, they may be 18 years old and the nature of their crime could warrant same. Perhaps they have previous arrest records and these are repeat offenses?

Why weren't mediation and meetings held between the neighborhoods prior to this incident. From reading the parents' letter attached to this blog, these parents were well aware of the conflicts before it came to this. It's great the church is involved and the different "gangs" can work out their differences in that forum.

These students should not be sitting at home. They could be in alternative school, reform school and doing hours of community service.

Students who attend school and obey the rules have rights too. They have a right to feel safe, not be afraid to use the bathroom during the day, and not have to have a body guard in a gang to look out for them.

Guilford County has finally woken up to the fact that gangs are here. They do not belong in our schools. This is only open territory to recruit more gang members.

I find it interesting that News and Record put the Grimsley article (with an opportunity to comment) on the home page at 3:00 a.m. this morning and now it's buried in the website. That's a pretty telling editing decision on this website. Does N&R not want the general public to know how bad things are in Guilford County Schools??

How ironic that there is an article in the N & R today about "Teachers the unsung heros". This is truly an understatement. It does take a hero teach in schools with gangs, violence and weapons, not to mention the daily verbal abuse one must endure.

Speaking of "how bad things are in Guilford County Public Schools"......

I have a friend whose relative works as a dispatcher for the Greensboro Police. She said things are so bad. People would be amazed. There aren't enough cops and the ones they have are rookies. So many of the good cops left the force. There's not just a safety problem in our schools, it's all over Greensboro. Remember the recent crimes in Irving Park..... didn't these resident say they never saw cop cars. They're probably don't have that area as a top priority.

Keep those hooligans out of our schools!!!

Do you think any of the parents who signed this infamous letter have ever attended a PTA meeting at Grimsley? Do you think we would find their names in the volunteer check-in list at the school? I find it interesting the letter mentions nothing about what they plan to do to better support their children if they are allowed to come back to school.
Allowing theses students to come back to school clearly sends the wrong message to everyone concerned.

O.k, O.k., enough of all the bashing of these CHILDEN. People have to realize the situations that these children come out of. They have people coming from outside of their neighborhood to fight them. What should they do? Get beat up? Not fight back? Maybe a bullet in the back will be OK? It is important for these communities to heal themselves. The police are not helping, school officials are not helping, so these parents are left out in the cold to do what the entire community is responsible for. Yes, it is there responsibility, but lets be real. What parent honestly knows every activity that their child engages in? Not you, and not me! Your parents didn't know half the things you were involved in. It was the adults in your neighborhood and schools that were there looking after you... correcting you. The fight was wrong it shouldn't have happened. But, lets not reduce these CHILDREN to hoodlums and gang memebers. Every time a black students gets into a fight doesn't mean that they are in a gang! Maybe Grimsley isn't the safest environment for these students!

Dear Anon,
what enviroment would you have these CHILDREN go to school in? What school would be better? Why are these two areas fighting each other? Where are the parents of these CHILDREN? Do these CHILDREN have curfews? Does anyone help them with homework? Does anyone know where they are or what they are doing? I don't know everything my son does, but I guarantee I know where he is, who he is with and I have no problems being the mean mom and saying no to going out.. no to talking on the phone after 9, no to 'hanging out' at the mall, or on the corner. It is a multi faceted problem, with no concrete answer. I hope the parents will now get involved and stay involved. These kids broke the rules, rules are in place for a reason. Break rules, pay the price. The rules should be the same no matter what color the CHILD. Better to miss a little school and learn the way to deal in a normal society or end up in a much worse place.

Onslow County, where I grew up and my mother still teaches, has an alternative high school for troubled students. Students are not expelled but sent to this strict environment with small class sizes and counselors and social workers on site. When students prove themselves worthy, they are then allowed back to their normal schools. Does Guilford County have anything like this? I don't know how they get anyone to teach there, but it seems to be working.

It is a difficult situation. Not every kid who gets in a fight is a bad kid or a gang member. However, we have rules and laws in our society. When you broach these rules and laws, there are consequences. For whatever reasons, these kids made the decision to settle their grievances with violence. And they decided to do it on the campus of Grimsley High School. They violated school policy and were punished according to that policy. Some of them violated the law and were charged with misdemeanors. Excusing their behavior and setting aside criminal charges and supsensions sends exactly the WRONG message. No parent wants his or her child to be victimized as a gang-banger or criminal. Similarly, no parent wants his or her child to have their safety in jeopardy at our schools. Attending school is a privilege. If you abide by the rules, you are allowed to attend. If you violate the rules, you must be disciplined.

The suspensions should stand.

The parents aren't saying that the children shouldn't be punished for their actions,but that the punishment is certainly harsh.Going to an alternative school,criminal charges,nor long term suspensions should be the answer.The community reached out to officials with no response and now that it has escalated to the school everybody wants to get involved be it positive/negative.Those children that have been suspended, should be allowed back in school without difference.The school officials, parents and students should all agree to mediation.I believe before people speak they should think about what they say."They are children not harsh criminals."

Concerned Parent,
Maybe we are experiencing a cultural difference here...I don't understand why we are seeing this so differently. All I know is that for our family the fight at Grimsley was a huge deal. My daughter was in the grove when that fight was going on and she was really afraid. It did not matter to her if the kids were black or white--she has friends of both races. From her point of view, she had no idea what the potential of that fight was. Did the kids have knives? Did they have other weapons? All she knew was that there was a lot of people fighting, there was a lot of blood and it was coming in her direction. The teachers couldn't even break it up--it took police.
In my opinion, you are really playing this down.
Maybe you know your child wouldn't hurt anyone--my daughter didn't know that. Maybe you knew those 30-40 kids wouldn't hurt anyone. My daughter didn't know that. How much violence do we have to have in our schools before people say, "Enough is enough"? If there had been an "accidental" death, would that have made it acceptably bad to you? I hear that you care about your kids. I am not so sure that you care about other people's kids.
There's nothing wrong with alternative school to show the kids that ill-advised actions have consequences. How else will they learn?

My understanding is that not one of the suspended kids appealed the decision. That was the proper way to attempt to have the suspension overturned, but no one did that. Now it appears that the parents are trying to make this into some sort of media act.

I don't blame the parents for using whatever tools they have at their disposal to protect their children. I think we might all do it in the same situation.
However, the question at this point is: What's good for all the children at Grimsley?

Funny that It seems to me that only when things are put in the public eye are students punished at all. If the schools are going to punish kids for fighting, that happens to get in the news, they need to be punished when it doesn't. Yes, I can say these things because I was a teacher at GCS at two schools and I have seen it first hand. I've seen kids fight, steal, cheat, threaten and sexually harass teachers and get After School Detention or a couple of days of ISS. Ridiculous. The board claims they can't do anything about it because people won't come forward. The board members claim they want someone willing to come forward and not be afraid of giving information, but I have done that and even contacted the board members who are over these schools. GCS does what it wants, when it wants. They know that if these students weren't punished harshly, they would have a serious problem with the parents from affluent neighborhoods. Thats basically what it boils down to.

The unfortunate thing is this. Why is the spotlight being held so strongly on these children now that the fight was at Grimsley? There have been fights in the neighborhoods for 2 years now! I think that the problem became more severe when it happened around a certain group of students. As long as these students were fighting in their neighborhood, no police cared, no other citizen cared. But now that it is at this school that has a reputation to uphold, it's a big deal! I am a parent, I think that children should be punished for wrong doing, but I don't think that children should have criminal records for fighting. There is a fight at Ragsdale or Page between white students at least 5 times a year. You hear nothing! Why? Really, why? I don't understand. This society hasn't come as far as we think!

A lot of these parents were not notified about the appeal process, as a matter of fact they had no clue. Some even received letters the same day as the hearing! This is why they didn't appeal. See, what a lot of you don't understand is that being poor and black in America IS held againist you. They were not given their due process! People assume they don't know any better, so they take advantage of the situation. It's sad, but true.

I don't understand your point. All I know is that when my child is in a school where there is a fight of 30-40 kids (white or black), lots of blood and police presence, it's a very big deal. It doesn't matter if it's Grimsley, Ragsdale or Page. We cannot become immune to violence and we can't minimize it. We can't lift our hands up and say, "Oh well, that's the way it is all over." Our children (white and black) and teachers deserve a safe school environment. How can anyone who cares about children possibly argue with that?

I was responding to Anonymous' post, by the way.

Getting a letter the same day as the hearing is inexcusable.

Can anyone provide a copy of the dated letter?

I doubt it.

At the beginning of every year a handbook is sent home that has procedures for GCS-- at most (all?) schools, parents are suppose to sign that they have read the policies or behavior/attendance etc. Not saying that all do this and if the parents weren't told of proper procedure they should have been. If that can be proven, then I think the time limit for appeal should be extended, however I do not think that all should be excused without due process. If the neighborhoods have been having trouble for 2years without any help, then the police and community(the community for not getting the news/paper/police/churches etc) are to blame. When the issue gets to the school grounds then it becomes a school issue.

LET THEM NIGGAZ FIGHT AGAIN DAMMIT.......................ROB NO DOUBLE ROB

As a student at Grimsley High school I personally saw the actual fight. It started out with just a few people and others began to join in; I guess they saw it as an open chance to deal with any problems they had with anyone else. I was not in the fight so I didn't see everyone involved. I fail to see why such a big deal is being made. There IS going to be conflict...regardless of where you go, those students just decided to deal with their conflict by fighting. Fights happen all the time and they are going to continue to happen, whether in school or outside of school.
As for the students who were arrested, I understand why some of them were, I mean they threw a rock, the size of my head, and a brick that split in half when it hit the ground. I don't believe, however, that they should be banned from Grimsley. Just because they were involved in the fight dosen't necessarily mean they're bad kids, just misunderstood. I mean you have to fight for yourself because no one else will. I'm a black female, all of the kids fighting were black. All you noticed for the rest of the day was that all of the white students went home; some of them personally told me that they saw it "as a chance to go home early".....they didn't care.Don't get me wrong, some black kids left also. I'm not a racist, I'm just exprssing my opinion. Now all these parents are saying that they're scared for their children, but appearently their kids aren't. Their kids came back to school the next day saying "The fight was crazy!", "Man that was awsome!", " I wonder how many students got arrested?" If their parents think they're scared, they have another thing coming. If their parents have such strong feelings they should transfer their children to diffrent schools.
I personally also think it has something to do with our new principal, Mr. Fleming. When Mr. Eldridge and Mr. Gasperello were here, there was no problem. I mean yes we still had fights just none like this one. I saw all the other faculty and staff, but I didn't see him( Mr. Fleming).
Thats just how I see it. I'm tired of the parents complaing, do something about it! Don't just sit around until another fight happens. If you choose to send your children to another school, there are plenty of other good schools in Guilford County.

As a student at Grimsley High school I personally saw the actual fight. It started out with just a few people and others began to join in; I guess they saw it as an open chance to deal with any problems they had with anyone else. I was not in the fight so I didn't see everyone involved. I fail to see why such a big deal is being made. There IS going to be conflict...regardless of where you go, those students just decided to deal with their conflict by fighting. Fights happen all the time and they are going to continue to happen, whether in school or outside of school.
As for the students who were arrested, I understand why some of them were, I mean they threw a rock, the size of my head, and a brick that split in half when it hit the ground. I don't believe, however, that they should be banned from Grimsley. Just because they were involved in the fight dosen't necessarily mean they're bad kids, just misunderstood. I mean you have to fight for yourself because no one else will. I'm a black female, all of the kids fighting were black. All you noticed for the rest of the day was that all of the white students went home; some of them personally told me that they saw it "as a chance to go home early".....they didn't care.Don't get me wrong, some black kids left also. I'm not a racist, I'm just exprssing my opinion. Now all these parents are saying that they're scared for their children, but appearently their kids aren't. Their kids came back to school the next day saying "The fight was crazy!", "Man that was awsome!", " I wonder how many students got arrested?" If their parents think they're scared, they have another thing coming. If their parents have such strong feelings they should transfer their children to diffrent schools.
I personally also think it has something to do with our new principal, Mr. Fleming. When Mr. Eldridge and Mr. Gasperello were here, there was no problem. I mean yes we still had fights just none like this one. I saw all the other faculty and staff, but I didn't see him( Mr. Fleming).
Thats just how I see it. I'm tired of the parents complaing, do something about it! Don't just sit around until another fight happens. If you choose to send your children to another school, there are plenty of other good schools in Guilford County.

I am a student at Grimsley High School and I saw part of the fight that occurred on December 14. In my eleven years of public schooling, I have seen many fights. However, this fight was by far the most serious and dangerous that I have seen.
More than fifteen students were involved in this incident and most of these students were arrested and charged. I feel that these charges were deserved and that the students' long term suspensions should stand. I am aware that there are gangs in Greensboro and that there is standing tension betweeen them. However, the inability of police and school officials to be aware and prevent violent actions compromises the safety of other students. I personally still feel safe at school, but I know that there are many students who don't. For this reason, these students who were involved in the incident should remain suspended.
Unfortunately, Guilford County Schools does not have a strong disciplinary system that allows for the option of alternate schooling. This means that students who are suspended for extended amounts of time really have nowhere to go. The only option at this point in time is to send the students to a different school in the Guilford County School system. This course of action would separate conflicting groups and could help the violence issue in the future. I feel that this is a problem; however, I do not think that overturning the suspensions is the best decision. The students involved committed acts of violence that break school rules and state laws. Because of their actions they should receive the punishment deserved.
To the parents who are concerned for their child's eduacation, where was this influence before your child was suspended? I understand that gangs are an almost unavoidable part of your child's life, but positive influences in the home can help these kids to make better decisions. If these students were focused on their education and not on the actions of gangs then their involvement in violence would be less of a problem.
I agreee with the parents from Hampton Homes in that their student should still be allowed to continue his or her education. It is wrong to take that away, but until the school system develops an alternative schooling program there is no other option. The suspensions and charges from the December 14 fight should stand.

I am a student at Grimsley High School and I saw part of the fight that occurred on December 14. In my eleven years of public schooling, I have seen many fights. However, this fight was by far the most serious and dangerous that I have seen.
More than fifteen students were involved in this incident and most of these students were arrested and charged. I feel that these charges were deserved and that the students' long term suspensions should stand. I am aware that there are gangs in Greensboro and that there is standing tension betweeen them. However, the inability of police and school officials to be aware and prevent violent actions compromises the safety of other students. I personally still feel safe at school, but I know that there are many students who don't. For this reason, these students who were involved in the incident should remain suspended.
Unfortunately, Guilford County Schools does not have a strong disciplinary system that allows for the option of alternate schooling. This means that students who are suspended for extended amounts of time really have nowhere to go. The only option at this point in time is to send the students to a different school in the Guilford County School system. This course of action would separate conflicting groups and could help the violence issue in the future. I feel that this is a problem; however, I do not think that overturning the suspensions is the best decision. The students involved committed acts of violence that break school rules and state laws. Because of their actions they should receive the punishment deserved.
To the parents who are concerned for their child's eduacation, where was this influence before your child was suspended? I understand that gangs are an almost unavoidable part of your child's life, but positive influences in the home can help these kids to make better decisions. If these students were focused on their education and not on the actions of gangs then their involvement in violence would be less of a problem.
I agreee with the parents from Hampton Homes in that their student should still be allowed to continue his or her education. It is wrong to take that away, but until the school system develops an alternative schooling program there is no other option. The suspensions and charges from the December 14 fight should stand.

As a student at Grimsely High school and a residence of Hampton Homes it wan't just the kids from my nieghborhood it was other students from all over greensboro and i feel that the fight was uncalled for but you can't blame it on one group of kids things happen and it seems to end up at school.

As a student of Grimsley High school, I saw the big fight that happened in Dec. The fight was the biggest fight I have ever seen at a school, but I disagree with people saying that the students involed should be kicked out of school, because no one really knows the story behind the fight. I feel that if people knew the story then they would understand why it happened, but no one wants to speak up and tell the real story. I do agree with alot of the parnets who were very concerned about the enviroment that there children are going to everyday. With alot of the bad press that Grimsley has been getting in 2007 I can see why alot of parnets are thinking in there mind if Grimsley was a good school for there child.
I don't think they should put all the blame on the kids that live in Hampton Homes because it wasn't just them that was fighting it was kids all over Greensboro. Some that were in the fight didn't even go to Grimsley, we had students from middle school and colleges too, and there was some that didn't even go to school and were basically adults.
So many people want to blame it on a gang war but it has nothing to do with a gang war people want to believe so bad that they know exactly what has happened when they look and see some African Americans fighting.
Even though the fight now is kind of in the past alot of students that were fighting still havn't returned to school and where there at and what there doing for an education is unknown but hoply they can find a way to let them come back to scholl because they may have taken them away from school that don't mean that will stop them from fighting outside of school.

In my opinion; the school board needs to take their part in making sure the students have a safe learning environment.This event wouldn't have happened if the school was gaurded and was not letting students do as they wish. School should be a violence free zone.The school board needs to take advantage in making sure drugs or alcohol are not being used on school campus.
The ones who have caused the problems on Grimsley's campus,such as, they skip class to attend events that have nothing to do with school and they fight. Thye should suffer the consequences for what they have done.They shouldn't have fought in the first place.This problem has put the teachers and students of Grimsley High School in danger.Now we all wonder what will happen next.Unfortunately,we can't prevent everything from happening,but we can avoid the situation from occuring by watching students as they go class.
Last but not least,If I was a parent,I would remove my child from the school because I would not want things like this to happen again.There's no telling what will happen next.

It is nice to see students blogging here.
However, I do not see eye to eye with some students.
I do agree with Sharelle in that I think schools should be a violence-free zone and a drug-free and alcohol-free zone. You will never convince me, as a parent, that the bar can be set any lower on those things.
And yes, there are plenty of fights where everyone is still alive and minimally hurt at the end of them.
Does that make the fighting all right, in hindsight? No, it doesn't. That same fight at Grimsley could have ended in disaster. How would you be feeling today if one of your friends (or enemies, for that matter) had been accidentally killed? What is someone had been permanently injured--i.e., sustained a brain injury?

For me, this is not about black and white. It's not about poor and rich. It's about keeping all kids safe in school. My kid happens to be at this school so it's important to me that this particular school is safe. If I perceive that the administration cannot keep the kids safe, then I will pull my kid out. But, I would only do that as a last resort. I prefer my child to be in a diverse environment--you learn more about other people and more about yourself.

Jasmine,
What were kids from middle school and college doing on the Grimsley campus?

Sharelle,
Why do you still feel like "there is no telling what will happen next"? Do you no longer feel safe?

No ,in my opinion,no one feels safe at this point.Anything can happen from here on out.The school board can't control everything;but they can try to avoid it.

Sharelle,

If you were a board member, how would you try to avoid it ?

Jasmine--

What is the story behind the fight and why are people afraid to talk about it?

Kids from middle schools came onto our campus fighting with there older brothers and sisters, some were even fighting and they didnt know what for really. I don't thnk the older brothers and sisters should have allowed that to happen because what if something major had happened to them in the mist of the fight, one student was stomped down by a bunch of boys trying to protect her brother and nobody seemed to really care, or to stop and think of what they were doing. It upsets me to see such violence in our schools today.

People are afarid to speak up about the story because of the big rule that i'm pretty sure everyone has heard on the news "no snitching" kid follow that rule becaus they know that opening up they mouth will only get them in trouble for speakin out. They don't want someone else to come up to them and want to fight them or even just jump them. Nobody wants to be the one that opens there mouth about everything cause no one will like you.

Kids from middle schools came onto our campus fighting with there older brothers and sisters, some were even fighting and they didnt know what for really. I don't thnk the older brothers and sisters should have allowed that to happen because what if something major had happened to them in the mist of the fight, one student was stomped down by a bunch of boys trying to protect her brother and nobody seemed to really care, or to stop and think of what they were doing. It upsets me to see such violence in our schools today.

People are afarid to speak up about the story because of the big rule that i'm pretty sure everyone has heard on the news "no snitching" kid follow that rule becaus they know that opening up they mouth will only get them in trouble for speakin out. They don't want someone else to come up to them and want to fight them or even just jump them. Nobody wants to be the one that opens there mouth about everything cause no one will like you.

Jasmine,

You sound like a really caring person. Your family must be proud of you.

My parnets are really proud of me for speaking up and talking about how i felt about whats going on in my school. I do feel that of alot of things should change an not just at our school all over the world