Student Fights: Can We Stop Them?

Student Fights: Can We Stop Them?

Diavian Thompson, Student/Fashion adviser

The 22-23 school year at CHS has been one of the worst in terms of student fights and altercations.  Whether it be over boys, likes/dislikes, internet arguing, etc, the amount of fighting at CHS has drastically increased. CHS staff have been doing everything they can to stop fights before they happen, but it’s not always enough. Education.com suggests that the most common reasons for students fighting are attention seeking, parental comparisons (good child v.s. bad child), both parties having different personalities/interests, developmental phases, and lack of skills. According to Mr. Pitt, there have been 6-10 fights at CHS just this year. There have been girl on boy fights, people getting injured, one-sided fights and a ton of recording/spreading. Usually, the majority of fights are within underclassmen but this year, it has been at its peak and it’s only the end of the first quarter. Following an altercation, admin will isolate both students in separate areas, students are permitted to give their narrative of the situation, parents are contacted, and ultimately have students removed from the space, follow-up with parents and discuss consequences. Mr. Pitt believes that students fight not because they want to be sent home, but because they want to be heard and they need support.

 

Rehabilitation, or a “reset” is the process of restoring someone to former privileges or reputation after a period of disfavor (languages.oup.com). Rehabilitation could be used to minimize conflict between students, and encourage them to tolerate each other, without causing a scene in passing. Although rehabilitation could be helpful, both parties would have to comply. Bob Garridy, a former employee at CHS, had been assigned the role of restorative practice. This means he focuses on strengthening relationships and connections between students to create an unprejudiced and positive school community. Having someone trained in restorative practices at CHS could make a big positive impact on the amount of altercations going around. With the help of CHS staff and students, we can take more actions to make the school a place where students feel safe, loved, and at home.