Staff members were involved in a physical altercation initiated by a student today, August 31, during fourth period.

“There was some degree of physical confrontation [initiated by the student] but not to the degree where anyone was seriously hurt,” Assistant Principal Galen Rosenberg said.

The school had reason for concern about the student’s behavior based on prior information it had received. This caused the staff to try to mediate the situation before anything happened. Police only became involved after the student would not comply with the staff’s directions.

“We wanted [the student] to come to a room or office where [he or she] would not be in a public space like that,” Rosenberg said. “The student was not completely cooperative with what the staff members were telling the student to do.”

Staff members called the police, who took the student off-campus.

“If there was no concern that the student was a threat to anyone, and [the student] simply refused to cooperate with a teacher or other staff members, I don’t know that we’d call the police,” Rosenberg said. “It’s when there’s a concern about whether or not the student may behave in a way that could be a threat to other people. There was behavior that already crossed the line where concern was justified.”

The cause for concern was not related to drugs, other illicit substances or weapons. No weapons were present during the altercation, and no serious violence was reported.

“There was nothing drug-related or weapon-related [concerning] what [the student] was going to do at school,” Rosenberg said.

Rosenberg also said that the conflict was a scuffle, rather than a larger fight.

“There were administrators and teachers there,” Rosenberg said. “I’d say [the student acted] aggressively. …[But] you wouldn’t call it a fight, that’s for sure.”

Consequences for the student have not been determined yet, on either a school or a legal level. The school will take appropriate action when the matter is no longer pending.