Multiple King County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a fight during lunch Friday, Dec. 16 at Kentlake High School.
“We received a call of three students involved in a fight in the bathroom at Kentlake,” said Manny Apostol, Sheriff’s Office spokesperson, in a Dec. 20 email. “Eventually the fight broke out into the parking lot of the school. As the crowd got larger in the parking lot, multiple deputies responded to the scene and were able to disperse the crowd.”
Apostol said rumors that someone brought a gun onto school property were untrue.
“No weapons were reportedly involved and the offer of aid to respond was declined,” Apostol said.
As a result of the fight and high tension at the school, Principal Heidi Maurer said in an email to parents what steps the school took:
Students remained in their sixth period class for the duration of the school day.
The Winter Assembly was postponed. (It might be rescheduled at a later date.)
The escalated tension among groups of students and members of the community does not allow us to safely host the Kentlake vs. Kentwood basketball game, dubbed “The Battle of 272.” At this time, the game is postponed. Information regarding the date and time of a make-up game will be shared once details become available.
Increased staff supervision and district security on campus for the remainder of the day.
All Kentlake after-school on-site events are canceled for this evening (Dec. 16).
The basketball game between the rival Kentlake Falcons and Kentwood Conquerors is called “The Battle of 272” after the name of the major street (SE 272nd Street) that sits between the two schools. Kentwood is at 25800 164th Ave. SE., in Covington while Kentlake is in unincorporated King County at 21401 SE Falcon Way.
Maurer described the fight in her email.
“During lunch, there was an altercation involving numerous students which necessitated police intervention,” she said. “This altercation reignited in the parking lot and included nonstudents. Staff, district Safety Services, and the King County Sheriff’s Office responded quickly to get control of the situation.”
Maurer said school officials decided to postpone events because “our priority is student safety.”
The incident provided an opportunity to remind students and the community how to respond when conflicts arise, Maurer said.
“We want to remind our Falcon Family that when they witness an altercation they are expected to walk away, find adults to intervene, and promptly follow the instructions of the adults on site,” Maurer said. “Altercations can escalate quickly when large groups form which prevent adults from responding and/or students are recording or encouraging the conflict.
“Additionally, nonstudents are not allowed on campus during school hours without prior approval and must check-in with the main office. Unfortunately, in this situation, several of these factors contributed to the conflict escalating rapidly and created additional safety concerns.”
The fight occurred on the final school day prior to the holiday break, which runs Dec. 19 through Jan. 2.
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