SPOKANE-- Two fights broke out at Rogers High School last Thursday, sending one student to the hospital.
Parents and students are upset. They say not enough is being done in the wake of those fights. One fight happened inside the school, and the other fight took place just outside of the school.
The school district says the fights were not gang related, but students say at least one of the fights was racially motivated. Video of the fight shows one student punching another in front of a crowd inside a school hallway. The victim ended up on the floor, and was eventually take to the hospital and released.
A sophomore tells KREM 2 News the fight started Thursday after the victim yelled a racial slur at the other student. Since then, rumors have flooded the hallways about more violence, including one about a gun threat.
Some students told KREM 2 News they were afraid to come to class Friday. School officials say about half a dozen students were punished with some kind of suspension for fighting or watching the fights Thursday. The district investigated the rumors of violence, saying they were untrue, and students are safe at school.
Wendy Bleecker with the Spokane Public School District says the district wants to work with the community and if there are rumors going around they need to know about it so they can get to the bottom of it. In the meantime, the school is reinforcing truancy policies put in place at the beginning of the year, that keeps students out of the hallways and in class.
The district says there have been less fights at Rogers this year compared to this time last year.
