According to WOLPCS Principal Katheryn-Crayton Shay, the assault began as a personal matter between two girls and escalated into a crisis that shut down the school, and will likely force eviction.

Crayton-Shay says she received a call at her office on Tuesday, March 14th from Keaau Vice-Principal Ron Jarvis immediately prior to the charter school reporting three Keaau High School students arriving at the WOLPCS campus, shouting obscenities at teachers, while threatening to hurt a 9th grade female student.

Witnesses state that charter school officials called the police department for assistance, but the Keaau students left before police arrived 20 minutes later. Teachers said that they asked police officers to stay, but they refused. Police officers informed the school that they needed to get their own security or use the security company contracted to Keaau High School.

As Crayton-Shay notified the student’s parents of the incident, she received a call from Keaau High School Vice-Principal Ron Jarvis, informing her that a posse of students was on its way to the charter school. She was told, "We can’t stop them."

Crayton-Shay called Capt. Steven Guillermo and was told that their officers were "not able to provide security" and that the police "were not able to do anything until something happened."

The charter school went into lock-down under their crisis plan. Within minutes, four trucks full of students pulled up in front of the school, which is housed in the Girl Scout Council building in Keaau.

The school reported that Keaau students broke into the Girl Scout Council office where Manager Char Awa was working and assaulted her. Then, they broke off the door and entered the classroom where WOLPCS students were in the middle of taking the Hawaii State Assessment.

Teachers were punched and knocked to the ground, while students were attacked.

The police arrived after the students had fled. Three girls were later arrested at Keaau High School, but were released to their parents.

Department of Education, Board of Education and the Charter School Administrative Office directors all commented that the situation is "under investigation" by the DOE.

"This was a dangerous, traumatic and totally unprovoked assault on an undefended school, destroying property, causing physical harm to students and teachers, and forcing the school to move in the middle of the school year," commented one parent who believes that it is unlikely that the DOE will hold anyone accountable.

Steve Hirakami, principal of the Hawaii Academy of Arts and Sciences charter school, stated that the standard operating procedure when students leave campus without permission is for the principal to file a Person In Need of Supervision (PINS) report. Hirakami said that staff are trained to call the police and file a report that a student or students left campus unsupervised and without permission. Police then record the description of the student, known destination, make of car, if driving, and pertinent details.

Also, student behavior in schools is covered under Title 8, Chapter 19, which categorizes assault and property damage as Class A offenses. Class B offenses include unlawful conduct, disorderly conduct, harassment and trespassing. Class C offenses include class cutting, leaving campus without consent, insubordination and truancy. Although all 21 students involved should be suspended under these rules, only 3 girls have been identified in the attack against WOLPCS students and teachers.

WOLPCS has been anonymously informed that Keaau students are planning another attack Friday. The charter school will be closed, however, because the Girl Scout Council has told the school that they must permanently vacate the premises because "it’s not safe."

"The Girl Scout Council’s reaction to the attack on the school is analogous to punishing the victim of a shark attack," commented Grassroot Institute of Hawaii’s President Dick Rowland.

"The story is not that the high school may lose its facility," said former Charter School Network President Dewey Kim, "it is that students and teachers were needlessly victimized."

Temporary restraining orders against the perpetrators are in process, while civil and criminal suits will likely be initiated. "There must be zero tolerance in our schools and communities for violence," said Crayton-Shay. "We have to look at why violence is allowed to fester on the Big Island."

Teachers and students are afraid to return to school and feel that they are not being protected. "Why must blood run in the streets before the police feel compelled to show up?" asks Rowland.

Laura Brown is the education reporter and researcher for HawaiiReporter.com and the education policy analyst for the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii. She can be reached via email at mailto:laurabrown@hawaii.rr.com

This editorial is intended to provoke thought, discussion and an examination of issues. It does not reflect official policy of the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii. See the GRIH Web site at: http://www.grassrootinstitute.org/

HawaiiReporter.com reports the real news, and prints all editorials submitted, even if they do not represent the viewpoint of the editors, as long as they are written clearly. Send editorials to mailto:Malia@HawaiiReporter.com

Offshoots

HIGH SCHOOL DROPOUT, THE SILENT EPIDEMIC

High school dropouts in the United States are becoming a national epidemic. While some students drop out because of significant academic challenges, most dropouts are students who could have, and believe they could have succeeded in school, according to a report by Civic Enterprises.

While reasons for dropouts vary, the general categories remain the same, whether in inner-city Los Angeles or suburban Nebraska, say the researchers:

Almost half said a major reason for dropping out was that classes were not interesting.

Close to 70 percent said they were not motivated or inspired to work hard.

About a third cited personal reasons, including getting a job to make money, becoming a parent or caring for a family member. Some, although not a majority, said academic challenges, including "failing in school," being poorly prepared, and repeating grade levels were factors in dropping out.

As complex as individual circumstances may be, for almost all the people, dropping out of high school is not a sudden act, explain the researchers. Often it is helped along by:

Inattentive school officials, Too much freedom and not enough rules, and A low level of proactive parental involvement.

While there are no simple solutions to the dropout crisis, there are clearly "supports" that can be provided to improve students' chances of staying in school, say the researchers. Not only will it take fostering a more academic environment through better relationships at school and at home, but also serious reforms at the local, state and federal level to ensure that the voices of young people who dropped out of school will be heard.

Source: John M. Bridgeland, John J. DiIulio Jr. and Karen Burke Morison, "The Silent Epidemic," Civic Enterprises, in association with Peter D. Hart Research Associates, for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, March 2006.

For text:

http://www.civicenterprises.net/pdfs/thesilentepidemic3-06.pdf

For more on Education:

http://www.ncpa.org/iss/edu/

Sprout of the Day

It was Harry Truman who said:

“No man should be allowed to be president who doesn’t understand hogs.”

- Lou Boyd on 12/02.

GRIH Comment by Dick Rowland: Very astute, that fellow. Perhaps we should start each session of the state Legislature with:

“Su-u-u-u-u-ey! Pigs!”

Grassroot Perspective...