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Student critical after Hanford West brawl

By Joe Johnson
jjohnson@HanfordSentinel.com

A Hanford West High School student was in critical condition this morning after a lunch-hour brawl between two students ended with one hitting his head on the asphalt and suffering severe head trauma on Tuesday. The victim was transported to Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno and placed on life support yesterday. Little information about the fight was available from authorities as both participants are juveniles, but it is believed that the victim suffered his injuries when he was knocked to the ground.

Hanford Police officers were called to the high school campus at 12:45 p.m. after a report of "a subject down" was received.

The victim reportedly suffered from both severe head trauma and an abdominal laceration.

The fight is still under investigation at this time. Anyone with information about this event is asked to contact Investigator Darren Matteson or Officer Dean Hoover at 585-2540.

(Aug. 27, 2008)

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The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the views of the Hanford Sentinel

Barbara wrote on Aug 27, 2008 12:17 PM:

" My heart goes out to this boy and his family...they send their son to school one day...and now he's on life support. "

capt wrote on Aug 27, 2008 12:28 PM:

" I grew up in El Dorado County and relocated to Hanford in the late 80s. All their high schools where closed campus. One of the few things that bother me about Hanford is the open campus policies. Trying to navigate Grangeville or Lacey during lunch time is a challenge at best. Now as the parent of a freshman I have had many discussions which always result in "Dad, there has never been an incident because of the open campus". Well so much for that! Maybe the school district will put aside local business interests and close the campus. Also, per case law, the school was responsible and now liable for the safety of that child. Maybe that will be cause enough for them to close the campus. "

Not a bad idea wrote on Aug 27, 2008 12:38 PM:

" I agree. Close the campuses at lunchtime! "

wishful thinking wrote on Aug 27, 2008 1:09 PM:

" the campus was open when I was a student 100 years ago, it was open when my kids started high school and it is open today for one reason. The owners of the businesses that rely on the students lunch money put a LOT of pressure on the administration and the board. They threaten to stop any and all donations to the school district, and if their business suffers, the economy of our city suffers as well, since they employ mostly unskilled labor who will not be able to get jobs elsewhere. Look what happened when In and Out tried to come here-they were made to be "bad guys" that won't be supportive to the community, but ask anyone that has ever worked there and you hear a completely different story. I think that until we can overcome the stranglehold some of these fast food restaurants have on this city, we have to just deal with the traffic and crowds at lunchtime and hope our kids can stay safe. "

THEREALDOG wrote on Aug 27, 2008 1:25 PM:

" May God be with him and guide him through this......Open or closed campus has nothing to do with this...was this fight gang related? "

Unhappy wrote on Aug 27, 2008 1:31 PM:

" CAPT. Im with you on the issue of closed campuses. I have issues with that also having a daughter in school not wondering what is happing out there while I work. Our children are not safe anymore in this era and we as citizens of Kings County have to speak up for our kids. Now with this incident of this poor child in the state he is in what will happen now. I say "Fence the school grounds" put more lunch stands there on school site and park benches on that nice grassy area they have where kids can sit and eat. This way our children will be in one location to be monitored for their safety. I know there are parents that will not agree, but have to remember it's for all children's safety we are all concerned about. Don't you agree? "

HWgrad wrote on Aug 27, 2008 1:34 PM:

" i graduated out of hanford west in 2006 and i have noticed since then that the students are starting to become more and more less intrested in school and friends and more on acting like their big and bad. i have noticed that they just care about being tuff and having a big ego, and i think that thats one of the main problems at HW. Plus i really don't believe that the HW staff members are doing a really good jod on controlling their students. I just hope that now they will do something about it and actully take action. my heart goes out to the family of the student and that the other student gets the right punishment for his actions. "

question wrote on Aug 27, 2008 1:39 PM:

" Was there anything to suggest that this was because it was an open campus? Did I misread? I thought it said the fight was between 2 students. Were they not both Hanford West students? "

To Capt wrote on Aug 27, 2008 1:46 PM:

" How does a fight have anything to do with closing campus. This is a tragic event and my heart goes out to the students family. There are only 4 or 5 adults supervising 1800+ kids between classes and this is just as likely or unlikely to happen on a closed campus. Wake up. "

JUSTICE wrote on Aug 27, 2008 2:04 PM:

" TRAGGIC EVENT FOR ANYONE INVOLVED IN THIS INCIDENT. IF THESE KIDS NEW THIS WAS GOING TO BE THE OUTCOME IT PROBABLY NEVER WOULD OF HAPPENED NOW TWO KIDS ARE AFFECTED BY THIS AND THERE FAMILIES. HPD OFFICER SAID THEY WERE NOT SURE IF THE BLOW WAS A RESULT OF THE FIGHT OR THE ASPHALT. PRAYERS ARE WITH THIS BOY..... "

Anyone Listening wrote on Aug 27, 2008 2:08 PM:

" I completely agree with capt, it should be a closed campus, except possibly seniors who are eligible. There is no need for hundreds of kids running around town at lunch time. The schools need to provide more options on campus for these kids and not allow them to leave. "

Citizen wrote on Aug 27, 2008 2:18 PM:

" I absolutely agree! Close the campus! Why did they take that fight of campus?? Because there is less supervision by SRO's and Campus Safety!!! "

Out of Control wrote on Aug 27, 2008 2:42 PM:

" Let's face it - these kids are out of control. Babies have raised babies and this is what we get. Gangs have taken over because prisons were built so some could have jobs; but what it brought was relocation of families looking to be NEAR their loved ones in prisons. This has resulted in a very SCARY town filled with terror and this type of fighting mentality has caused alarm for those of us actually raising our children according to the biblical rule!

I can only say I can hardly wait for my husband's retirement so I can get to some of the places I've visited that actually understand and raise their children to understand that this type of thing is NOT to be tolerated and is abhorant behavior.

I pray for this boy and his parents/family. How sad that one day a little boy who depends on his parents to keep him safe, and the next on life support just because the law says you have to send them to school with people who could care less and are taught to care NOT about eachother. "

Just Wondering wrote on Aug 27, 2008 2:51 PM:

" To Capt: What makes you think that the fight had anything to do with the high school not having a "closed campus" policy? From what the article says, the police were called to the CAMPUS for a subject down not a local business. "

DaTruth wrote on Aug 27, 2008 2:57 PM:

" Just another classic case of gang violence... A closed campus will not solve all, since these kids will fight on school grounds just as fast as off. Maybe if Hanford PD would give the schools the proper resources they need, including an officer on each campus and beefed up patrol at lunch time, things like this could be prevented. We are living in "gangland" people... and the tragedy is it will get far worse before society as a whole admits it and tries to do something about it. However, by then it will be too late. I'll bet my house you will see a sharp rise in enrollment at private schools in the next few years. "

to capt wrote on Aug 27, 2008 3:06 PM:

" i agree that the campus should be closed, but this occurred on campus "

HW parent wrote on Aug 27, 2008 3:15 PM:

" My understanding is that it did not happen on campus, but down the street. "

shannon wrote on Aug 27, 2008 3:30 PM:

" My heart goes out to to this boy and his family may god be with him during this time... I believe all High schools should be on site only... No one should be allowed to leave for lunch... this will help protect our kids. "

hulk wrote on Aug 27, 2008 3:32 PM:

" do we have a gang problem in Hanford? Do I hear a yes. It's crazy that people have no decipline over thief children. What has this world come to. My heart is with the victim. He needs a hug. The other man needs a serious atitude ajustment. "

concerned wrote on Aug 27, 2008 3:59 PM:

" First of all, it did not happen at Hanford West, it happened at lunch off campus. Second, it was not a brawl, it was a fight, one on one. A brawl is more than one person.
Third, it is a sad thing and this is why we need to talk to our children about the consequences of their actions, both lives are changed forever and hopefully no one else will get hurt and the young man will recover. Please get your facts straight, the high schools do not need incorrect information getting out, Hanford West is a good school, I have a student there now and one that has graduated. "

Angie wrote on Aug 27, 2008 4:01 PM:

" To Out of Control-
Let me get this straight, you're saying that the gang violence in this town is caused by families that have moved here to be close to their loved ones in prison?
Wow, you're really in a bubble.
If you truly raised your children "according to the biblical rule" you wouldn't be so judgemental.
Violence is EVERYWHERE! "

I Agree wrote on Aug 27, 2008 4:06 PM:

" I agree with concerned. one on on is just a fight. the artical says nothing about the kid being jumped or anything like that. this is tragic and my prayers go out to all involved. but remember it takes two to tango "

Graduated HW Student wrote on Aug 27, 2008 4:07 PM:

" Okay. So since the fight happened near to corner store it isnt the Hanford West security responsibility to patrol. Its the P.D.s . The campus cop and the other security officers are busy on campus with the kids that didnt leave campus.

This should not come back on the school in a negative light. This tradgey could happen anywhere. Even the precious Hanford High campus.

We should all be praying for the family of the poor boy and stop focusing on if the high schools should be closed campus. Thats not what this article is even about! "

boycat wrote on Aug 27, 2008 4:08 PM:

" do all the students have lunch at the same time? would it not be easier to have 9th and 10th graders go to lunch and then after that the 11th and 12th graders. "

dont know wrote on Aug 27, 2008 4:10 PM:

" While I feel for the victim and his family, he was not a complte victim, the two almost got in a fight before and he knew what was going to happen ( fight) he did not deserve to get hurt like that, but he is not completely innocent does not really matter, should never have happened, "

Hello wrote on Aug 27, 2008 4:39 PM:

" Concerened, Yes, you have a child there at HW, no one has mentioned it was a bad school! The main issue here is the safetly for your and everyone else's child that attend our schools..what if it was your child your child lying in that hospital bed you would think very differently...Everyone's concern should be our kids welfare and nothing more...! What are we as citizens of KC feel our needs are to make it safer for our kids. "

HPD wrote on Aug 27, 2008 4:39 PM:

" Yea thats it! Blame Hanford PD for the actions of people who choose to break the law.

Its the PD's fault that they cannot be everywhere at the same time and prevent ALL crimes for happening in the first place.

Face it! As long as people exist, crime will exist!

Personal responsibilty and holding people accountable has gone the way of the dinosaur. We want to give an excuse or an out for everyone who chooses to break the law.

How about placing the blame where it belongs, squarely on the shoulders of this young hoodlum who hurt this boy!

Closing the campuses will not stop violence, think about our prisons, are they safe places to be? How much more "locked down" can you get! Closing the campuses will hurt our local economy, cost people thier jobs and more importantly will place an additional burden on already strained school budgets. "

What wrote on Aug 27, 2008 4:46 PM:

" Does anyone really believe that closing the campuses will prevent this type of crime from occurring?

Come on people, get real! It will not make any difference on student safety. Fights happen on the campus as well you know! As a matter of fact more fights happen on the campus than off the campus.

As usual people have gotten off the subject here and that is not wether or not the campuses should be closed, the subject is gang violence!

And guess what, there is no easy fix for the conditions that lead to this type of behavior! "

high school student wrote on Aug 27, 2008 4:58 PM:

" I dont believe our high schools should be on lock down during lunch. This was a sad an accidental incidental fight that happend, so why would you punish every one for something that was a mistake. Just because this happened at lunch time doesnt mean it couldnt of happend anywhere else. "

Mom wrote on Aug 27, 2008 5:04 PM:

" To "concerned":
The interesting thing about the "facts" is that it was this paper that reported the police were called to the campus and headlined it as a brawl. I'm not sure what news source has it correct, but it clearly happened a block away. The headline was inexcusable in my opinion.

I personally would love to not have to plan my lunch hour from work around when the kids are out for lunch. They are not respectful of the traffic at all and make some lunch places very unpleasant. But, I agree totally with those who said this didn't happen becasue of an open campus at lunch. If it had been a closed campus, it might have then happened after school. And like most fights, I suspect there is involvement by two parties and not just one perpetrator and one victim. "

Apalled wrote on Aug 27, 2008 5:10 PM:

" This is a very scary situation, but most importantly, my heart goes out to the injured child and both families involved. I'm certain both sets of parents are hurting. I do agree with the comment that only seniors should be allowed to leave the campus, if authorized by parents and their grades give them the privledge. Most children at this age have a little more maturity and usually do not want to cause problems because of graduation. I personnally witnessed an incident during lunch, I was turning off Lacey onto Campus Dr, there was a group of overly hyper kids waiting to cross the street. My light turned green, furtunately I was paying attention to the kids, as I proceeded to turn, one boy pushed another boy off the sidewalk, directly in my path. I was moving slow enough to stop. I WAS ANGRY......a child could have been unnecessarily hurt. This is reason to consider a closed campus......it would be for the children's own safety. Had this fight happened on campus, it more than likely could have been stopped by school personnel. "

hwstudent wrote on Aug 27, 2008 5:15 PM:

" i currently attend hanford west. closed campus would not solve the problem of gang fights, if you recall 2 years ago a group of students fron hanford east drove onto the west campus and started a gang fight right there in front of the classrooms, that put the school on lockdown for about an hour. Open campus is not the problem. this fight could have easily happened on campus. it just so happened the conflict aroze off campus. it could have happened during a passing period. either way my heart goes out to the boy. "

come on HPD wrote on Aug 27, 2008 5:19 PM:

" it seems to me that the HPD is all talk when it comes to the issue of high school lunch. I am a student and i have heard numerous times that "the police will be enforcing jay walkers etc."
it looks like the police avoid the high school areas st lunch. i see some police officers at starbucks when i am at carls jr. for lunch. if each school had their own resource officer and could beef up the security things would be better. at least one campus security officer is always on the corner of campus and lacey watching for anything that is going on. "

MIKE wrote on Aug 27, 2008 5:24 PM:

" THE PROBLEM IS THAT THERE IS NO SUPERVISION OF THIS CHILDREN. THEY ROAM THE STREETS DURING THE LUNCH HOUR AND CAUSE MAYHEN WITH TRAFFIC AND THIS WAS BOUND TO HAPPEN. CLOSE THE CAMPUS AND PUT THESE KIDS UNDER SUPERVISION BEFORE SOMEONE IS KILLED. ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS WATCH THESE KIDS ROAM THE STREETS AT LUNCH, SMOKING AND CAUSING CARS TO SLAM ON THEIR BRAKES. CLOSE THE CAMPUS, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! I SEE IT EVERY DAY! "

Studentofclass wrote on Aug 27, 2008 5:33 PM:

" I am a student of Hanford West. I know the guy who was severely hurt. He is not a gang member. Yes, im sure words were exchanged and he just simply blew his temper or he said something that made someone else not happy.

What happened was a fight. Its high school it happens on campus, off campus, and after school. What happened was a one in a million chance, he hit his head on the concrete just so to give him blunt force trauma to the head.

Yes, its is horrible that this happened. But creating a closed campus is simple impossible. Try telling a town of 1,800+ people that they all have 43 minutes to get in line to get food and eat is simple impossible. With an off campus 17 fast food places and on campus food are more than enough to serve the 1800+ students in 43 minutes.

So please, stop placing the blame on off campus privileges. Yes, it makes a nice scapegoat but it doesn't address the problem of mass media vision of male masculinity. "

nancy wrote on Aug 27, 2008 5:39 PM:

" Close the campus, only seniors allowed to go off campus during the lunch hour.
Thats the way it was in the 60's and no problem, it gave the freshman, sophmores, & junior something to look forward to! "

IDOTS wrote on Aug 27, 2008 5:51 PM:

" Are you guys crazy? Closing the campus will do nothing except cause more fights ON campus, which will make it more likely for the many kids around them to got hurt by it. And even if they did close the campus, it will just cause them to fight on campus. They dont care where they do it, they are going to fight either way. "

mr cooo wrote on Aug 27, 2008 5:54 PM:

" this fight was gang related thats what i heard... "

R wrote on Aug 27, 2008 6:03 PM:

" What none of you realize is that the school does not have the capability to provide meals for 1800 students on a daily basis. The cafeteria is not equipped to handle that. Of course equipping it ,and staffing it, and providing all of that food would mean an increase in school funding (HHMMM ...wonder where that money would come from??)

Also, I noticed that the reporter for this article "conveniently" forgot to mention that the brawl did not happen on campus (I know for some it is a moot point) but at a nearby convenience store. The Fresno news agencies included this info, but our local paper glosses over it. "

Products of their home enviroments. wrote on Aug 27, 2008 6:09 PM:

" Tired of the large number of parents who put their children on the welfare roles.These parents have minimal to no skills in parenting, majority are with little English language mastery, allowing their children to run their household business at too early an age.Kids today are used as interpreters and are ill-equipped, only giving slices of information to their parents.

The boys involved with these kinds of fights have various low to nil social skills due to their awkward circumstances at home.They have depended on no one with any esteemed position to look up to. These boys have never been prompted to focus on the education.

Parents that lack in education cause shame to their children, they cannot offer their children any help or drive to make education a priority!

These kids given powers of control within their homes, have very little common sense in its use outside.To feel more powerful outside the home, they resort to bullying and trying to feel better about their inadequecies by fighting and belonging to gangs that really do nothing for their REAL PROBLEMS...they are not using education to better themselves and their parents are to blame. "

Commonsense wrote on Aug 27, 2008 6:48 PM:

" "Closing the campus wouldn't change things"

By closing the campus the school would be liable for these types senseless gang activities. They would need a bigger police contribution to handle the gangs present in today’s schools. Do staff and Hanford PD want to deal with these indigent kids? Fellow taxpayers, “we deserve the right to not have to worry about the safety of our children in public schools”.

I say close the campus and put each and every kid in a uniform. The kid with visible tattoos, your out. Put every child on the same level. The way he/she excels amongst his pears is thru academic level or sport.

We're dealing with un-parented animals in these schools. Mentally they’re ruined due to lack of guidance at home growing up. We better wise up or they will take over and poison the children we worked so hard to bring up the correct way.

The issue of closing this campus will come up. Beware the fast food companies who will be shaking in their boots as the issue is discussed. They’ll do everything their power (Buy off officials) to keep the campus open. "

Yeah Kings county cut somemore safety programs wrote on Aug 27, 2008 6:59 PM:

" Unaddressed-saftey indicator of issues that are being ignored.The country is changing, Respect is of little consquence to youth here.They can't keep their hands off each other.There is always a pre-buzz when an off campus fight is going down.

It will get worse as this county is violently growing larger with massive amounts of generational welfare/migrant/low-icome "youths." A population explosion is coming into these school districts ballooning uncontrollably into a public pain that will spill into personal tradegy.

The contiuency of KINGS,urge the city council and goverment officials in office to be PROACTIVE and USE FORESIGHT to the future!This public is not blind...your actions are being watched...your hidden agenda's are very clear!

All those separate accounts from federal and state dollars earmarked for specific programs.How about putting those grant writers from KINGS busy with REAL business at hand like infastructure and safety grant writing?Enough of that easy stuff for the social welfare departments.Yeah it easier to write for those kinds of grants that are migrants friendly/farmer friendly,PADDING their own paychecks and creating a beaucaratic mess of useless employees for "Welfare to Work."Stop forcing taxpayers to support an endless cycle of welfare mongers in our society! "

Denise wrote on Aug 27, 2008 7:14 PM:

" I don't know if this fight had anything to do with gangs, but gangs are taking over this community,. What's sad is we think there isn't anything we can do about it. There was gang writing on the side of an aparment wall on Florinda St. that was there for an entire week. Why did the City allow this to remain so long? Hundreds of school kids walk past this wall every day on the way to school. We need to stand up and say "not here!" The police department, the City Council, the Board of Supervisors need to make gang eratication in this town the top priority. Those running for City Council must make this issue #1. The current City Council has not given support the Police Deparment to hire enough Officers in this town and run these gangs out of here. GET THEM OUT !!! We do not have to sit by and accept this. We need to deal with this now! We are quickly approaching a state of emergency in this town. "

Ms H wrote on Aug 27, 2008 7:23 PM:

" My heart is breaking for this child, for both these children and their families who's lives have so drasticly changed. There is nothing we can do to change what happened but we can strive to make the future better for others. Its starts by teaching our children to have respect for others as well as themselves, to be humble, to use their words instead of fight, to turn the other cheek, to give and not expect something back, and understand that life is not always fair, I could go on and on. Life is precious, we are not promised tomorrow and our lives can be changed in an instant. This is not about an opened or closed campus, this is a result of how our children have been raised. I pray for peace for these children and their families. "

a mom wrote on Aug 27, 2008 8:07 PM:

" Well I went to High School and graduated many years ago, closed campus we were not in jail or boot camp we were in school; If I was late to a class I got a tardy so I was hardly ever late; High School has nothing to do with kids fighting; thats insane; I am so tired of picking up the paper and gangs this and gangs that; all this police officers running around ; what are they doing to help teenagers; troubled teenagers; Hey stop the problems before they start; if they are having problems in 6th grade I would think by the time they got to high school they would have big problems; I feel or the teachers and staff at the High Schools that have to deal with so many troubled teens; Sometimes I fear for their lives; There is no HELP for trouble teens in Kings County ; Wake up Kings County before a staff memeber is hurt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "

rafael wrote on Aug 27, 2008 8:31 PM:

" there were a lot of police at the school... hardcore "

Give me a break wrote on Aug 27, 2008 9:10 PM:

" This story has nothing to do with whether the campus is open or not. A child could likely lose his life and it amazes me how people use this as a way to push their opinion on whether the campus should be an open campus or not. Have some respect for the family that is going through hell wondering if there son is going to wake up!!!!!

God Bless the family and this boy in pain!! "

Close em down wrote on Aug 27, 2008 10:05 PM:

" I think it’s time school administrators look into closing both campuses. The campuses need to be closed because the kids have no common sense. They dart out in front of traffic, they don’t look both ways, there are always accidents in front of West campus during lunch hour, and just the other day I saw a fire engine with its lights and sirens on trying to get to an emergency during lunch time near east campus and they had to stop and wait for the kids to get out of the street. These kids didn’t even rush to get out of the way; they just walked on, not even looking up at the fire engine! Those kids who think they own the world delayed that fire engines response, causing someone’s medical emergency to drag out longer or the fire to burn longer. I don’t know what the emergency was but it’s too bad a police officer didn’t see those kids! Isn’t there a law about obstructing an emergency? "

To wishful thinking wrote on Aug 27, 2008 10:05 PM:

" How did you manage to turn the open campus debate into In-N-Out not coming into town? Businesses aren’t going to go bankrupt because kids don’t get to go there during their lunch any longer, heck they will probably see an increase in profits since they won’t get getting ripped off everyday! "

To HPD wrote on Aug 27, 2008 10:20 PM:

" Come on... No one is saying the PD is a savior, but where is the school's resource officer? Where are all the patrol units during lunch? Visual enforcement is a strong deterent. I heard Hanford HS had adults start a fight on their campus last week, and yet HPD let them go... HPD needs an officer on each campus, and they need to patrol around the schools during lunch. Cite these kids, and hold them accountable. It wont stop everything, but it will help! "

change lunch options wrote on Aug 27, 2008 10:49 PM:

" At my high school of approximately 1200 students, we had two lunch periods so everyone could have a chance to eat. The only students allowed off campus at lunchtime were the juniors and seniors with a GPA of 2.0 or above. They were issued an "off-campus card" that had to be shown if anyone asked. Couldn't the high school do something like that to have better crowd control and make lunchtime safer for the students? "

Dumb wrote on Aug 27, 2008 10:55 PM:

" I am suprised how many people think that closing the campus for lunch is impossible and would not do any good. There are so many schools all over this country that are closed for lunch, things work out just fine. Officials are then able to keep a better eye on the students and they may not prevent all occurance of incidents like this but they may be able to prevent them from elevating to this extreme.
Should our children be going off campus to eat fast food everyday anyway?? It is a terrible lifestyle and expensive anyway. There are several kids who simply go off campus to "escape" and be out of the administrations eyes anyway. Kids will be kids, but that is obviously part of the problem here. I am amazed how many are crossing the main road and just hanging out in parking lots near the school with complete disregard to the traffic. Cars have to be very careful as these unpredictable teenagers simply walk in front of everyone expecting them to just stop. Simply putting an end to that is reason enough. Kids would be safer oncampus. "

Mother of Student wrote on Aug 27, 2008 11:11 PM:

" My child is a freshman at HW and once again he has already been getting bullied at school. This has been a problem since forth grade. Every year its a different student doing the bullying. Mostly verbal but several times it has become physical. Nothing that compared to what the young man suffering from this fight is experiencing but fights usually start fairly mild and escalate over time. I have spent much time over the years talking with school officials and inevitably i am told "its been taken care of". The current bully may disappear for a few days at best and then return to school misbehaving exactly as before. Since we do not have reason to believe at this time that this fight was gang related, I am left wondering if perhaps the victem had experienced similar problems as my child and finally couldn't take any more, therfore deciding to stand up for himself. It is tragic what has happened to him and i will be praying not just for him and his family but also the boy who caused the injuries. Parents , it could have been any one of our kids. "

Jerry wrote on Aug 28, 2008 12:00 AM:

" On campus, off campus, during school, after school, elementry, high school, college, kids adults, men women... doesn't matter...fights happen.... God bless this student along with all of us...no doubt later than sooner we will all learn to live together.... "

A Worried Mother wrote on Aug 28, 2008 12:09 AM:

" I Hope This Boy Gets Better... And If It Was A Gang Fight Or Not... Some One Could Of Prevented This! I Know Someone Was Watching....This Situation Is Getting More Frightening As It Could Get.. Not That Long Ago.. We Had 30 GangMembers Go To Another Ex-GangMembers House...And Some Boy Severly Hurt...
All Four Went In Custody.. And Since There Family Of Mine.. I Have To Say.. There Making A Changes!
But Do Really Have To get To This Extremes To Make This People LIsten?
KIngs County Wake-up!! Your Residents Are Calling!! "

bb wrote on Aug 28, 2008 4:04 AM:

" I think it's important to remember that the schools are not babysitters, and the only ones to blame are the parents. The valley was named number one worst place to live for a reason, and all the blame throwing is not going to solve anything. The only way to bring change is to start with elected officials, who control the budget. So stop blaming the school, police, and open campus lunches. This was mutual combat, and therefore both are to blame. If you want change, rid the school of gangs, which starts with expulsions of any gang activity. At first there will be an uproar, however the same parents whose child is expelled and cries foul are the same parents who allow their children to participate in such activity. One suggestion, require the parent(s) to attend school for the day with their little angel when said student is disruptive, this is not only embarrasing to the student, but also should be to the parent. Second offense, expulsion, its that easy. "

Mrs.D wrote on Aug 28, 2008 6:17 AM:

" RE: HWgrad, The sign outside of the school reads(approximately)Hanford West High School. No where on that sign does it read "Hanford West High School Dry-Cleaners", meaning that it isn't a dry-cleaners for dirty kids to clean up. It isn't 100% the HW staff responsibilty to make sure that these young adults wash their hands and pick up after themselves. They learn that at home where there parents are. And if they come from a one parent home, they should still learn that from Mom or Dad. It's something that should be taught at home(race, sex and religious beliefs notwithstanding).

Businesses located around the school will still benefit from a closed campus: the adults who leave their homes for errands have to eat and buy gas, and they'll do so freely if there's no disruptive students around. The Hanford Mall will be okay for shoppers and mall walkers without the kids around, who generally like to make a mess out of the place.

Close the campues now! "

Hello wrote on Aug 28, 2008 7:21 AM:

" People!! Get over your holier than thou attitudes. This fight could happen anywhere. What difference does it make? It was an accident. Fights happen, always have, always will. But neither would have acted out if they knew this would happen. Things happen for a reason. Mabybe, just maybe this will curtail some of the violence in our schools. Wishful thinking? Probably. I feel for both families... "

Janice wrote on Aug 28, 2008 8:13 AM:

" ((So many good points, agree with most of them. ))

Parents need to be parents in todays world. Not friends or companions. We need to lay down the law with our kids. As a Hispanic I know that we have failed as parents and will continue to fail because girls are becoming Mothers at the age of 14,15. And at such a young age, their own mothers send them to get government assistance. In doing so, they are taught to not be responsible for their actions, they are taught that everything in life can be handed to you without an ounce of struggle.At this age its cute that our babies get dressed in gangster clothes, get studs in their ears, and pretend to be drinkin beer. These kids grow up thinking that its ok to behave that way.
It doesnt matter where the fight took place, closed/open campus, there can never be 100% supervision.
My deepest sympathies to the family. No child deserves that fate, regardles of. "

Marie wrote on Aug 28, 2008 8:13 AM:

" Not that i am in favor of an open campus, but not sure how a closed campus would have helped in this situation. Didn't the fight occur on campus? Do you mean maybe they would have more supervision if it was a closed campus. I too was heartbroke when i read this but fights are becoming commonplace on most larger campuses. "

RE CommonSense wrote on Aug 28, 2008 8:13 AM:

" Your statement: We're dealing with un-parented animals in these schools...

Wow with your words you would think that we should lock everything and everyone down like a prison. Let me ask you this, if this happened at your place of employment would it be ok for me to make the same assumption of EVERYONE you work with? C'mon, lets get the facts straight the percentages of good kids is a lot greater than a coupule bad seeds. "

Just Think wrote on Aug 28, 2008 8:52 AM:

" Just Think People, if every one actually started being accountable for there actions, and parents actual had the right to act as parents , Placing more police in the school does not make it better ,to educate it creates a correctional facility attitude, give the rights back to the teachers to teach and correct, and parent to parent.

Just think… BE ACCOUNTABLE "

Valley Girl wrote on Aug 28, 2008 9:02 AM:

" First, I offer my deepest condolences to the families. I can't imagine the sorrow and worry they are experiencing at this time. Second, since it has been brought up, the issue of a closed campus. At this point I am neither for, nor against the idea, however there are some things I would consider. I have a child attending Lemoore High School that keeps me filled in on the lunch time activities. #1: Fighting and/or scuffles at lunch are nearly an everyday occurrence. #2: Smoking and marijuana use at lunch is a daily occurrence. #3: The kids are choosing fried donuts, burgers, chips and a soda, and gas station burritos for their nutrition. Not to mention, the nearby neighbors having to deal with damage to their yard/vehicle/home and the erratic drivings skills of our kids. Will fighting, marijuana use, and poor food choices continue even with a closed campus? Sure, but it would be lessened, supervised, and perhaps more manageable. Apparently kids of today need it more so than ever. Just a thought. "

Interested wrote on Aug 28, 2008 9:10 AM:

" I have an idea... How about we stop worrying about the campus being closed, what HPD is doing, and who "should" have been there to protect them.. Instead let's worry about teaching YOUR children that violence is NOT how you solve a problem! How about YOU teach your kids to stand up for themselves using WORDS! How about you teach them to be productive, and not out here FIGHTING!! That is the problem, not any other factor, just your parenting!! If you say it is ok for them to fight then guess what genius they are going to fight! As parents we need to step it up and set examples for our children! If your child sees violence or you condone it then your result; incidents like this!!!! "

WorriedMom wrote on Aug 28, 2008 9:23 AM:

" "My prayers are going out to the family. I agree maybe it should be a closed campus school. That won't solve the problem but it will help. What we need is more supervision from school officials as well as from the Hanford Police Departement. I totally agree with Capt and Unhappy. "

Out of Control wrote on Aug 28, 2008 9:28 AM:

" To Angie:

No I said it was part of it, and my bubble was busted a long time ago.

Just today on the news is another Hanford child plotting together with a friend to stab another child. What a sick prime example that our children are not being sent the correct messages or taught correctly?

I think the 30 year old Hanford man printed about last week being beaten and left for dead should not be NORMAL NEWS . The Lemoore girl who shot her parents NOT NORMAL

What ever happened to caring about your fellow man? I must have struck a nerve? My point was if you invite violent people into your neighborhoods, you breed violence.

If you don't teach patience, love and understanding (biblical) YOU GET VIOLENCE.

We can all offer our opinion to this plight, but let's try to concentrate on a boy in critical condition and pray that Hanford receives the prayerful blessing of healing.

Why point fingers at all or take offense to my blog? I'm not judging - merely calling them as I see them. Ouch! "

A. Gallegos wrote on Aug 28, 2008 9:37 AM:

" Children need guidance.Iblame the parents for raising a gangbanger.I also blame the decline of moral values for this tragedy . "

To Nancy wrote on Aug 28, 2008 9:51 AM:

" GREAT IDEA!!!!!!!!!!! "

Capt wrote on Aug 28, 2008 10:08 AM:

" I agree totally the open campus was not the sole determining factor this occurred. However, it played a major role in this incident. When you have children and young men together in an unsupervised enviroment, the likelihood of mischief increases greatly. Fact is, most children, and some young adults, need more supervision in these times than ever before. There is absolutely NO benefit whatsoever to any child’s educational development to have an open campus. I would like to hear one if anyone can come up with it.

Maybe when the school district pays millions in the liability suit the campus will close.

Opps! Wait a minute! The city already paid millions to a family of a boy nearly killed on 11th Ave a few years ago. Tragically, this happened even after numerous parents pleaded with city officials to put in traffic controls because of identified traffic dangers on the 11th Ave interstate freeway between Fargo and Flint.

Even today the city still refuses to put lights or even painted cross walks on 11th between Fargo and Flint. "

WAKE UP wrote on Aug 28, 2008 10:13 AM:

" from this traggic event its gone to a debate over a closed/open campus. people fight all the time in schools its nothing new however this incident has left a young man fighting for his life and another in the balance of justice, surely with all parties suffering. no one has officially said one way or another if this incident was or wasnt gang related, so just stop already. drama kings and queens.. the only parties who know for sure are those who saw this incident and the two boys, quit assuming. this was a fight no weapons were involved... quit bickering and pray for the boy who's fighting to stay alive, now is not the time. "

What the wrote on Aug 28, 2008 10:49 AM:

" Where in the article does it say gang related. There are a lot of fights between students that have no gang ties. Do any of you remember what it was like in high school? This is a tragic incident of two kids getting angry. Between this article and the news on television who knows what the whole story is except for the kids that were there.

Two families will suffer. Pray for both families and TALK with your children. Interact in their lives. Do not assume that you know what is going on in their lives. Some parents have as much if not more drama then their children do. Start getting back to the basics of family. Take back our families.

But stop making assumptions. Contact the families see if they need anything. Can you make their families something to eat. Can you run an errand for them in this trying time. Try helping instead of judging. "

Thinking wrote on Aug 28, 2008 11:12 AM:

" That boy got hit for some dumb reason and it dosent matter to keep the campuse closed they were in the same school. "

unknown wrote on Aug 28, 2008 11:12 AM:

" Action's speak louder than words and on that day with whatever happened there actions spoke louder than any parents words no matter there age everyone today knows the difference between right and wrong so just because there kids does not mean they have no responsibility for their actions. And if i spelled something wrong get over it. "

i dont want it to be announced wrote on Aug 28, 2008 11:14 AM:

" Hey that was a friend of mine and i know exaclly why that happen it was because of gangs i dont bang anymore i hang out with them for two years and that is why it happened.The school lost control of the students they think gangs is going to go away if they expell everyone that is cought but it wont.They have brothers or uncels or sisters any famliy member who will lesson "

RobertD wrote on Aug 28, 2008 11:54 AM:

" I'm curious if all the taxpayers out there calling for a closed campus are willing to pay for it. Neither campus is equipped to feed 1800 students. It would require more facilities, personnel, and other costs to implement. Split lunch peridos would be necessary, thus extending the school day, or maybe we should simply cut the amount of academic classtime. The bottom line is...as a society we have to decide when students should be held accountable for their actions. I believe a 14 year old freshman should be mature enough to handle an open campus lunch. If every parent would teach RESPONSIBILITY, the number of undesirable incidents would drop dramatically. "

THEREALDOG wrote on Aug 28, 2008 12:25 PM:

" Sorry but it was gang related....Keep praying for the kid....It willl get worse at both schools because of what happen gang issues.... "

Dont know about you wrote on Aug 28, 2008 12:29 PM:

" This is a very sad event that has occured my prayers our with the families involved. On the subject of having police officers at the high schools during lunch. That is a lot easier said than done. There are usually 6 to 7 officers on patrol if were lucky. Those six to seven officers are usually running around town taking reports for burglaries vehicle thefts and other related criminal activity, they can not be everywhere at once. They do have the rest of the city to serve maybe some of these kids just need to take some responsibility of their own and begin to be law abiding citizens. "

Jennifer wrote on Aug 28, 2008 12:31 PM:

" Open or closed campus would not have mattered in this case. This occured ON campus at lunch. A closed campus would not have changed this., the fight still would have been on campus at lunch. The only discipline reason to close campuses is to prevent ditching or other unwanted people from coming on campus. Closed campus schools still have fights, and it just creates a boxed in, oppressive atmosphere. "

Angie wrote on Aug 28, 2008 1:02 PM:

" To out of control-
Calling them as you see them???
So automatically the families of prisoners are all violent? C'mon! So all the prisoners have families that are violent, so that means they're the ones responsible for the crime, gang activity and ALL violent crimes in the state of California, right? Whatever lady.
And if you are such a prayer warrior why aren't you praying for these violent families of the prisoners instead of judging them. Ouch! "

Angie wrote on Aug 28, 2008 1:04 PM:

" To 'Product of their home environment'-
Here it goes, blaming people on welfare for societies problems again..... "

O. G. wrote on Aug 28, 2008 1:11 PM:

" Terrorism exists in today's public schools. "

Gracie wrote on Aug 28, 2008 2:11 PM:

" The fight was off campus during lunchtime. In fact, near B & P Liquer Store, a couple of blocks southeast of HWHS. It would be nice to see a closed campus, because as someone said, it is a challenge to navigate the masses on Lacey Blvd. Incidents are happening daily, and traffic accidents happen more than people think, due to kids darting across Lacey Blvd., and running between cars. For example, last spring, two multiple car accidents happened two days in a row, due to kids stepping out in front of cars. Not all, but some will step out on purpose, look a driver in the eye, and just barely stroll across in front of the vehicle. Rudeness and arrogance seem pretty rampant. It is a danger for the students, and for the drivers near either HHS or HWHS at lunch. A truly dangerous situation. "

Oh My gosh wrote on Aug 28, 2008 2:13 PM:

" Are we really talking about this being the parents fault? Because maybe they are not as well off as you? Product of Home Enviornemnt? I assume your children(if you have any) are perfect!! I sure hope your children never make a mistake. But if they do rest assured someone who is the product of their home enviornment will be right here to blame you!! I personally know the family of this student. While they may might not be rich they are a VERY good family. So Product of Home enviornment does your way of jumping to conclusions about other people come from your home enviornment??? "

Thoughts on Fight wrote on Aug 28, 2008 2:19 PM:

" Reports conflict whether the fight was gang related but talking to any HW student they are sure it is and that the gangs there are already planning retalliation. This has nothing to do with open campus. Majority of the students are good kids who like to eat out for lunch there are just some stupid ones (yes) who decide to fight during lunch time. The fight was off campus down the street in front of a store. Sixteen year olds are old enough to know when they are breaking the law and it shouldn't be the act of two or three kids that ruin lunch time for all of the students. If they were two years older it wouldn't be any concern of the school and they have the possibility of being tried as adults as it is now. Leave it alone and let the police deal with it. Having trouble makers out of the school will only help. "

wrote on Aug 28, 2008 2:21 PM:

" I cannot believe that some of you are blamming the Hanford PD for not preventing this incident. Give me a break, you talk about them being at Starbucks while you go to Carls Jr, WOW. No wonder why society is what it is, do the crime and blame somebody else, if its not your parents fault, then it must be the COPS. I dont work for HPD but know that their officers always hussle, and run call to call all day long. So ya, they cant be everywhere all the time. If you want more patrol then talk to the city and ask for more officers, Hanford is not the same old little town. They have great managers there that keep their officers on their toes and dont let them just drive around, I have seen it and heard, first hand, they work and work hard. Proud citizen and HPD supporter, and NO I am not an officer there. "

All the kids fault wrote on Aug 28, 2008 2:24 PM:

" I just want to start by saying that I feel bad for the student in critical condition.

Further, he is also to blame. All of the students involved are affiliated with gangs and they made this choice. He needs to be looked at as an example of why gang life has no rewards and not as a sympathy. "

Agree with Interested wrote on Aug 28, 2008 3:10 PM:

" This Social Darwinism at it best...
I have to agree with "interested" Parents need to take responsibility for their children, And students for themselves...Period!! It is not the school, the city, or the PD's responsibility. People need to accept responsibility for themselves...we each have the individual decision to make the right choices in life regardless of our environment! "

Suzanne wrote on Aug 28, 2008 3:32 PM:

" My prayers go out to both families, as well as the two boys. This not only affects the boys who were fighting. Imagine being the parent of the boy fighting for his life.........or the boy who is now in the hands of authorities. It is not our place to be judgemental, we don't know all of the facts. I have learned years ago not to judge until you have walked a few miles in their shoes. Lets get all of the facts and then discuss how to fix the problem! "

Bobb wrote on Aug 28, 2008 3:38 PM:

" Several people refer to the lack of a large enough cafeteria to feed 1800 students. Maybe a simple solution would be to stagger the lunch hours and have several different lunch periods. Just a thought, with almost 50% of the State Budget going to Education I wonder where all of that money is spent. We may need an independent Audit of how school funding is spent. "

HW Parent wrote on Aug 28, 2008 3:39 PM:

" This incident happened at a liquor store down the street from campus. It did not happen on campus. Since the two students are students of the same high school, this fight could have happened on campus. I do not believe that closing campus to avoid situations like this will work. I GUARANTEE that fights will happen on a closed campus as well. I feel that the campus' do what they can to the best of their ability. With budget cuts, funding, and staffing, they do what they can. I am a parent and would like to see more staffing at some functions, but because of funding, it is impossible. This is why I feel that family support is necessary. I attend games whether my children play or not. My children want to attend the games, so why not go as well. We are supporting our school, and at the same time keeping an eye on our own children.
The bottom line is that fights can and will happen anywhere. "

Close campus...why wrote on Aug 28, 2008 3:54 PM:

" Wasn't Colombine a closed campus...how well did that work out for them? "

Truth wrote on Aug 28, 2008 4:19 PM:

" Why are you people so concerned with closing the campus it's not going to change a thing. When I went to school there kids would fight in the bathroom, behind the portables, and in the back patking lot. It doesn't matter where they fight it's going to happen. You act like they can't walk down the street after school and do the same thing. They can and the school would still be responsible for the student until they walk through their front door. It's not a case of how the school handles the kids or how Hanford PD does it's a case of how YOU the parents raise YOUR children. So maybe YOU should do a better job of teaching YOUR child how to RESPECT others as well as their self and how to act appropriate at the institution where they are obtaining their education. Teach YOUR child to take advantage of this time and excell. Give YOUR children a little encouragment to ACT APPROPRIATE becuase teachers ARE NOT babysitters they teach, the yard aides patrol the school yard, The campus police officer patrols the campus. YOU have no one to blame but YOURSELF the PARENT. "

FF wrote on Aug 28, 2008 4:25 PM:

" If they can't control the kids, they need to take drastic measure to control them, close the campus and make them wear uniforms, that will help, and it will get some of them used to a prison setting since some of there will end up there one day. "

OUt of Control wrote on Aug 28, 2008 4:27 PM:

" To Angie:

Oh yes, with responses like this, you bet I pray for everyone. . Ouch!!!

Read the blogs..... gangs, gangs, gangs, are they born or raised? "

Hanford West needs to make some changes wrote on Aug 28, 2008 4:50 PM:

" Last year, my child was a freshman there. After one semester--I was completely done with that school. W/in the first week, my child came home asking very specific questions about the gangs, because of what is going on there. There was sexual activities going on in the bathrooms during school hours. A teacher gossiped with students about other students as well as letting them hang out outside the classroom and letting kids from other classes come in ,, just to hang out. My student watched the Muppet Movie 4-5 times-- that is quality education? Not in my mind! These incidents were just the start! I pulled my child out and into a different program. I did take the issues to the principal, he wasn't surprised. The only thing that surprised him was the fact that a teacher would let the kids do nothing and tell them to look busy if anyone came in. I saw BOTH a lack of parenting and a lack of responsibility to our kids from the school and staff. I would never let my child go back to that school.Multiple issues creating an unsafe environment--get involved people! Next it will be your kid!! "

Mike wrote on Aug 28, 2008 4:54 PM:

" Today I watched as a kid walked into traffic and forced a car to swerve into another lane as a joke. This is the kind of activity that makes me want to close the High School for lunch. Those "Adults" who think we need to keep them open need to take a chair and sit on Lacey and watch the pure stupity. Tossing trash every where, running into traffic, and being disruptive. Trying stopping in one of the fast food places to get a bite, you get to witness more stupidity. Jumping on chairs, tossing food and using cuss words.
68 days of vacations and min. days it is no wonder we are almost dead last in learning skills. Kids are not in class and have no fear of missing school. Keep them in school, keep them in their desk, and keep them learning. "

Military Mom wrote on Aug 28, 2008 5:06 PM:

" I am so very sorry for both the families.....
Honestly, My personal opinion is everyone is missing the big picture... Every one is so consumed with blaming each other. This is exactly why things like this happen.. If we as grown-ups are saying such awful things and showing so much negative feedback, how do we expect our kids to act any different. Instead of coming together as a community and trying to figure out what we can do to keep our children safe, we are causing more hate and discontent among our community. Where are all these opinionated people when the City of Hanford has a Town Meeting? hmmm?
GOOD QUESTION.......................... "

wishful thinking wrote on Aug 28, 2008 5:32 PM:

" I couldn't care less about In and Out. The point I was trying to make is that although you may not believe it, the money made during the "lunch rush" is what can make or break a fast food restaurant. I know this because I have managed a few of them for over 25 years (unfortunately). The owners have often said, if we lose the kids, we lose our business, I was told that we would lay off all our high school students and give nothing to any high school organizations if the schools closed their campuses. If you think that they don't have a lot of power, ask them for an hourly sales printout and see that they are very dependent on high school students at lunch time. Consider this-if campuses are closed and students are layed off and donations stopped, there might actually be some students that won't eat there, either because they are broke or because they have heard the backlash from the high school administration. Find a former fast food manager and ask them what they think. Trust me, they will back this up. "

wait wrote on Aug 28, 2008 6:01 PM:

" I noticed that someone called the young man that was in the fight with the injured man a hoodlum. Was this a simple assault? I was under the impression that a verbal fight started on campus and then, after the students left campus for the convenience store across the street, they got into a physical altercation. I don't think we should blame anyONE until we get all the facts. For all we know, the boy that was injured started the fight and was just unlucky, fell and got hurt. When he recovers (and I certainly hope he does), we he be arrested as well? "

its like Nascar wrote on Aug 28, 2008 6:08 PM:

" regardless of open campus, closed campus, there is no way to control that many kids at one time. If you don't believe me go to either of the schools at either lunch or after school. But be warned, you will be taking your life into your own hands, I never see any administration or police in either lot after school, but lately I have seen a student with a bull horn wandering around I think trying to control the Kensington Lot. Too bad he is really having no success because he has no authority to do anything of a disciplinary nature anyway, so he is probably just getting laughed at for all his hard work in this heat. I give him credit though for trying to make his school a better place. "

Parent of a student at HWHS wrote on Aug 28, 2008 7:20 PM:

" To all of you who think that you have the answer:
There is nothing that could have prevented this!
Kids today need to take responsibility for there actions as well as adults, a closed campus is not going to change anything.Even if we as good parents try to raise or children with RESECT,MORALS, teach them right from wrong, take them to church, and teach them about GOD. If we dont do these things as well, how do we expect are children to? Maybe you do! and that child still makes choice to "gang bang", or commit a crime. Dont blame the SCHOOL,HPD,PARENTS,or SOCIETY, make the person who commited the act be held accountable for their actions. I pray for this boys parents who are probally living their nightmare, I'm sure they have told him to get out of that gang before he gets hurt, as well as the other parents, but these kids need to be held accountable!!!!! I hope this doesnt happen to another kid, but it probally will.

"AND NO! MY KIDS ARE NOT IN GANGS" I would kick their *** if they were and I found out, and beleive me I WOULD! "

HHstudent wrote on Aug 28, 2008 7:48 PM:

" ok well first of all it would be so hard to close the campus for lunch. Honestly........i think that it would do nothing that would affect this problem, it has nothing to do with gangs anway. ITS GUNNA HAPPEN EVERY WHERE PEOPLE. It could have happened at my school. you gotta pray for the guy though. Got into a fight and some one took it too far. One is in jail theother on life support, one crazy day. "

Blue Falcon wrote on Aug 28, 2008 7:56 PM:

" Shame on the parents for not raising their child better.

I've heard a lot of different reports (though all close to one another) that mention that the 16 year old continued to hit the 17 year old after he was on the ground... that there is a pure example of a coward!

Closing the campus because of this I don't think will solve any issues; nor leaving it open. What I am about to say will probably upset many, but I think a good way to curb violence of this sort and get a good serious message across both to parents and students is to punish all; how you may ask? Start by dropping certain after school sports programs and other activities like drama, band or whatever ... huh... yep, take away from those that do well, will result in per pressure from them to the ones that cause the problems. Then you'll have only two outcomes, a school full of punks, or a school that wants to set good examples in the community so they can have sports back... Wow am I extreme or what! This always worked in Boot Camp. "

keep campus open wrote on Aug 28, 2008 9:22 PM:

" High School is a very important time for teenagers where they learn to have a little freedom and self responsibility. I don't see how closing the campus teaches them anything more than how to hate being stuck at school all day with no freedom of choice for lunch or lunch time and no trust to leave campus for a few minutes then come back. Are we training them for college or to cut Capt's lawn the rest of their life. I want my kids to have an open campus just like I did. They can choose to stay on campus or leave. If it helps local business good, why complain about that. Everybody claims they want teenagers to be more responsible but you have to give them a little room to learn to be responsible. As for this fight, fights happen, fact of life. It is very sad when someone is hurt this bad, but it happens. It usually takes 2 to fight and both kids are guilty here. It could just as easily been the other kid who got hurt bad. Very sad event. "

MV wrote on Aug 29, 2008 8:45 AM:

" If this was during school hours , than it is the school's responsibilty. I live north of School, and it seems like year after year you drive past the shool during lunch and there's a couple of hundred kids out of the school yard. If they were inside and maybe watched this incident might of been prevented. Why blame the kids , why not the teacher. "

Parent of a student at HWHS wrote on Aug 29, 2008 9:00 AM:

" To Blue Falcon:
Then maybe we need a boot camp! But you cant punish the whole school for a few bad seeds. Make each one accountable for his/her action. I think they both should be punished for example, when he gets out of the hospital take him to jail also, show no mercy because he lost the fight. Im sure he wasnt the victim HE LOST THE FIGHT. Sorry it happened, but it takes two to fight,they both could have walked away but they didnt, so PUNISH them both. I bet that will open these kids eyes. "

pAUL wrote on Aug 29, 2008 9:04 AM:

" Drop band and drama?? Oh yeah. The kids in those two programs are REAL THUGS and will put the heat on the others. And you can't apply military type punishment to the general population, it just won't work. You can have it in a family were either or both parents were in the military. Those kids grow up knowing what is expected of them.
When I was at the west campus way back in the day, we had fights. It's part of the deal. I don't think anyone can HONESTLY say they never saw a fight or knew of a fight that happened when they were in high school. It's part of the deal.
Bring this kid up on assault charges, send him off to jail, end of story. If I can remember correctly it was a closed campus back then.
To me the best thing is to have a REAL cop on campus monitoring the halls, keeping tabs on the REAL GOONS and start weeding them out.
I think a "school full of punks" is called a re entry facility, jail or prison. And we know what some people think of that. "

FATCHICK wrote on Aug 29, 2008 9:18 AM:

" EVERY1 ON HERE HAS NO IDEA ABOUT WHAT REALLY HAPPEN JUST FIND SOMTHING ELSE 2 DO. ND PRAY 4 DAT KID ANGEL HIS PARENTS ARE SITTING THERE WONDERING WHEN HE MIGHT WAKE UP!!!! "

FATCHICK wrote on Aug 29, 2008 9:20 AM:

" 2 OUT OF CONTROL:
SO WHAT R U TRYING2 SAY IF PEOPLE READ THE BIBLE THEY WONT BCOME VIOLENT???? "

PATRIOT wrote on Aug 29, 2008 9:54 AM:

" THE PROBLEM WITH EVERYTHING IS SIMPLE, PEOPLE DO NOT KNOW THERE PLACE PERIOD. NOWADAYS WHO RESPECTS WHO? NO ONE HARDLY, BACK IN THE DAY YOU KNEW YOUR PLACE OR YOU KNEW WHAT THE CONSEQUENCES WERE. YOU SEE DISRESPECT EVERYWHERE NOWADAYS PEOPLE NEED TO TREAT PEOPLE WITH RESPECT AND NOT ASK BUT DEMAND THE SAME.... THIS INCIDENT IS SIMILAR TO THE ONE IN FRESNO ITS TRAGGIC,NONE THE LESS. WHAT HAPPENED TO ALL THE ADULTS DRIVING BY WHILE THIS WAS GOING ON? EVERYONES ON LUNCH AND NO ONE SAW THIS? YEA RIGHT TO THOSE WHO DIDNT STOP AND END THIS YOU NEED A BOOT TOO. WHO WAS THE AGGRESSOR ORIGINALLY? "

whitey wrote on Aug 29, 2008 11:18 AM:

" Yea, its sad what happened.


But why is everyone acting like this is the first time kids got in a fight, and someone got hurt? When i was in high school, there were fights daily. It happens. and not just in hanford.

But i also agree, it is the parents fault for (now days) letting their kids do whatever the heck they want. Most parents are just too worried about looking like the "cool parents". its okay to be a cool parent, but its more important to be a good parent. Thats why they are called parents. Not friends.

and, trying to put them in uniforms wont solve a thing. it would just make them more angry. they tried to do that when i was in school, and it just didnt fly. Everyone teaches their children to stand up for themselves. and fights break out. because they dont explain other ways to stand up for themselves. "

NotHomeGrown wrote on Aug 29, 2008 11:32 AM:

" To Keep Campus Open: I would agree with you somewhat, but I don't see where any of the kids really deserve an open campus. You say give them responsibility, so do I but with that comes consequences. Have you ever been by any of the schools either during lunch or before or after school? Try making it past there. They have no respect for anyone, they step out in front of moving vehicles, they j-walk, they squel their tires. What makes them think they are better than everyone else. I say at all of the crosswalks put in the signals, so the kids can cross with the traffic held back with a red light for a short period, then let some of the traffic go and hold the students back for awhile. Right now you can be sitting there for a long period of time because they just continue to walk out into the street and show no courtesy for others. I would think the HPD could make a killing every day issuing traffic violations to students alone. "

Charles wrote on Aug 29, 2008 11:35 AM:

" Some people out there need to really wake up. Closing the campus will not solve these kinds of issues. The administration can only do so much anymore with these kids. I have witnessed time and time again when parents would come to the school and actually take sides with their little spoiled rotten to the core kids everytime their kid messes up. Every time you hit your kid you will be turned into CPS. It does not suprise me they act the way they do with the divorce rate the way it is today. Many of these boys grow up without knowing what a man is. Some parents need to realize it is not the schools responsibility to raise your kids with manners, go to movies 8 on the weekend and observe our youth, you will see what I am talking about. Cops raise these kids on the weekends and teachers on the weekdays, and some parents think out of sight out of mind. My heart goes out to the family and the victim, I hope everything works out. "

Janice wrote on Aug 29, 2008 12:23 PM:

" Has anyone read what Military Mom wrote?????
Quit posting and start acting!!!!!!!

What about Uknown??? ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS.
Lets get off of our chairs, out of our homes, out of the so called obstacles that prevent us from making a difference, and go to our town meetings..
There isnt one for a while??? well, then lets make one happen soon!!! Im only 22 yrs old and honestly, I have seen that sometimes us young people dont take action and dont do the right thing because we see our parents, elders, role models not doing it first.
SO QUIT POSTING AND START DOING!!!! "

GET IT RIGHT... wrote on Aug 29, 2008 1:41 PM:

" WELL PEOPLEZ I THINK EVERYONE WHOSE COMMENTING SHUD GET IT RIGHT.... NONE OF US SHUD B JUDGING ANY OF THEM... ONLY GOD IS THE ONE TO JUDGE WHOEVER HE WANTS.... "

JB wrote on Aug 29, 2008 1:47 PM:

" Close the campuses. School should be for learning period. Raise the bar to play sports to at least a 2.5 GPA. If you can't attain that in HS your not paying attention. There should be no tolerance of the lack of respect that comes from children that are being raised to have none. "

Blue Falcon wrote on Aug 29, 2008 5:27 PM:

" in response to "Parent of a student at HWHS".

I believe it is the policy of HW to punish all who fight, regardless if one gets hurt or not. I think though that many have missed the point. WOW, punishment by the school... suspended... ew... scary! BIG DEAL! They (the kids) don't care. It's a free day home for them. Obviously their parents don't really care too much either; right?

Going off campus for lunch is a "privilege", not a right. So are the sport programs and other after school activities; they are only privileges and if a student's grades decline, they are not allowed to play sports or participate in other after school activities; I believe that is a district policy, But if you take away privileges from all, soon "Peer Pressure" will take effect, and what is the most influencing form of pressure with teenagers? That's right, peer pressure. Soon, because those that do follow the rules want to have privileges they will (hopefully) prevent stuff like this from happening... it's kind of like watching out for your buddy.

I told you my idea was a little extreme, but I bet the fights would stop. "

Blue Falcon wrote on Aug 29, 2008 5:38 PM:

" In response to "Paul"

Please know that I never said kids in "Drama and Band" were thugs, in fact far from it, as we both agree upon. But I'm sure over that there have been many great leaders that have developed do in part because of Band and Drama... I wonder if "Ronald Regan or John Wayne" was ever in drama? But when you have outside influences from those "good" kid parents to the school district and school itself, soon, the district and school has to act to "clean up" it's problems. That in itself becomes another form of pressure, correct?

Yes we have all seen fights; but I can honestly say I never saw a fight when I was a student there that resulted in one going to the hospital because of "possibly" (something this article don't mention) continuing to be hit after he had fell to the ground and was knocked out (by the ground). "

Blue Falcon wrote on Aug 29, 2008 5:40 PM:

" To Patriot:

I agree 100% with everything you said! Good points! "

Blue Falcon wrote on Aug 29, 2008 6:13 PM:

" To Janice, in response to "Military Mom's" post.

Let's just make this clear... the reason why the young people do not attend City Council meetings and many many people are not involved is because the City Council has their own agenda... and I'm not talking about what goes on in those meetings, I'm talking about what they want to do personally. They really do for the most part care less about us, the voters in this community; and we elect them.

And Janice, as far as doing and acting... go for it, lead the charge up the hill; all it takes is one; maybe you'll have better luck then others in the past... just don't mention you're a Wal Mart shopper ok... "

O. G. wrote on Aug 29, 2008 9:50 PM:

" Take God out of school, forbid prayer, the Bible, the Ten Commandments and this is what we get.
We need God in America Again: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3gh-vgZ4mM&feature=related "

LT Dangle wrote on Aug 30, 2008 5:56 AM:

" A very unfortunate event. However, my advice would be to see what other schools are doing to maintain safe / effective learning environments. What about off campus passes to only those select students who maintain a 3.0 gpa or above / have no discipline points etc...... The last time I checked, there were fences around the campus. Why can't the district post yard aides at a few gates and check for off campus passes? Additionally, why wouldn't this same policy be extended to dances, proms / activities. There should be activity lists clearning students who have earned the right to participate. However, this takes work and support from the admin. / district and a willingness for the staff to work together for the betterment of the school. It simply is not a good situation right now! The District needs to check it's ego and look around at other successful schools and what makes them tick! "

Earn it wrote on Aug 30, 2008 8:27 AM:

" I believe that good behavior earns off campus priviledges. I'm appaled that anyone here is thinking of feeding 1800 children and where that money would come from. Can they pack a lunch? I'm sick of my money being used for their lunches. Students could use their $7-$10 fast food jaunts for food prepared AT HOME like the rest of us. It makes no sense for my tax dollars to feed them on a closed campus when they feed themselves on an open campus. Boggles my mind. "

Proud Dad wrote on Aug 30, 2008 9:33 AM:

" To Blue Falcon: You have brought up some interesting points, the boot camp theory wouldn't work great, since everyone isn't on the same page like they are in boot camp. But I feel the campus can be closed very easily to create that peer pressure. The lunch period can be divided in 2 maybe even 3 groups, if the group theory doesn't work, then extend the school day to make sure the students receive the meals that they need. The open campus needs to be on a privilege basis, if the school receives enough complaints or an incident happens, then the privilege is removed and the campus is shut down. If the school administration, citizens or Hanford P.D. observe students disobeying traffic laws, the campus gets shut down etc. "

THEREALDOG wrote on Aug 30, 2008 1:12 PM:

" To all of you out there that are calling for a closed campus. Here's some food for thought. Imagine 1800 students all wanting to be first in the lunch line. Kids will be running and one could just as easily trip and hit his head. Or two students start fighting over who got there first. "

KP wrote on Aug 30, 2008 1:31 PM:

" Why aren't these kids that get into fights and bully other kids at Kings Community School??? They have an officer on campus and every move they make is watched. To my knowledge they even have a metal detector. You aren't allowed to bring anything to school such as a backpack or anything to that nature. You are to wear nothing but black and white tops. You're basically treated like a prisoner but if the kids are screwing up that's where they need to be. They need to be taught a lesson and shown an example of what life can be like if they were ever sent to prison. You are not allowed to leave the campus for lunch or anything. They will call parents before they even let you walk home if it was not stated at the beginning of the school year that the child was to walk home. Those kids get watched like a hawk there. These high schools need to step up and start sending these kids where they belong! But my guess is that the community school is already overcrowded! "

George wrote on Aug 30, 2008 5:19 PM:

" In response to Blue Falcon's comment saying that we should abolish after school program like band, drama, NJROTC, etc., I believe that option would cause more fights considering the fact that the students who are in those after-school programs are doing them to PREVENT crime and punishment, keep themselves busy and learn. We should never eliminate those programs from ANY HJUHSD schools. I believe that we should have more supervisors in different areas where students are likely to go for lunch. That would prevent crime significantly. "

a few questions wrote on Aug 30, 2008 6:33 PM:

" I have something that I would like to have cleared up for me. Somebody mentioned having to feed all the kids with our tax dollars if the campus was closed. Why? If they can pay for lunch off campus, then they can pay for lunch on campus as well. A lot of schools contract with the same fast food places the kids go to anyway, so why not try to put a few of those places on campus like at colleges and such. And KP-I agree with you 100% but to send a child to community school you have to override a parent that will send them to charter school where all the other kids that have been expelled for fighting and drug charges go. It seems that those are the kids that need constant supervision the most, instead of watching tv, getting into trouble or playing on the computer cause thats what they are doing. I have a nephew going there and even he will admit that it is a joke. Maybe people need to make their kids understand that there are consequences for bad behavior. "

JMF wrote on Aug 31, 2008 10:16 AM:

" I agree with all the comments and concerns of school security and the economic impacts a closed campus has on local businesses. I attended Hanford High when it was West and East campus as one school. I feel a solution to curb some of this hostil activites on and off campus is to institute servelence at most all of the fast food and hangouts of the off campus offeners and capture eveidence and identify responsible parties. Cheap electronis puts servelience within the reach of most all business owners. If these hostil individuals know they are being viewed and have eveidence of their crime maybe they would think twice about what they do. This is in no what an incroachment of our civial, rather a reality which has become commonplace in the world we live in. Of cource this would increase occupancy in our jails and juvinel detention centers. But hey, maybe this is where they belong until they get the message. We are watching. "

WHERE WAS BOBBY PETERS wrote on Aug 31, 2008 11:04 AM:

" another era of the local good ol boy network!!!! less than 5 yrs out of h.s. and he becomes a principal what a sham. "

LT. Dangle wrote on Aug 31, 2008 1:27 PM:

" Most businesses already have cameras. Again, it is very simple. Drop the ego and go see how other successful schools in the area run their day to day operations. Off campus passes would almost eliminate the majority of the problems. If the students leave the restuarants / streets in a mess then close the campus for a week. If there are problems off campus then close the campus for a week. However, if passes were only given to those students who have a 3.0 gpa or higher,,,, I don't think there would be many problems.
It is currently a situation where the kids have more power and control than the teachers. Thus, a lack of respect occurs as well as apathy! Rules and regulations need to be in place and enforced! The kids want discipline but are being done an injustice at this point. Look around at other schools and see how they work. I think HJUHSD would find many valuable ideas. "

closed campus lunch time wrote on Sep 1, 2008 12:43 PM:

" I had to chuckle reading some of these comments. Why in the world would it make the day any longer? I come from the east coast and my generation and generations before me seemed to have figured out the DAUNTING MYSTERY California I guess can't. You have three or four different lunch shifts. You make the schedules so a third of the students and teachers go to lunch shift "a" and guess what? The rest of the students are still in classes! Those students are done and the bell rings and they go to classes while students and teachers on lunch shift "B" goes in. Its not all that complicated people. Really. I never seen an open campus until I got here, and it is a sad state of affairs. As a side note, just this past week I had to call the school boards asking why when there has only been 7 days of school so far why 4 of those days they ran out of food for the free and reduced kids. On day last week lunch was a box of raisins and a cup of water, not even milk. Poor, poor planning indeed "

Blue Falcon wrote on Sep 1, 2008 4:42 PM:

" To closed campus lunch time:

You know... you're right! You'd think some would get it by now... unfortunitly Liberal California is so scared to make any drastic changes, in fear that someone would get sued or worse; actually have a idea that makes "cents" ($$$)!

As far as the lunches running out, please enform us all of the out come... what did the school board tell you? "

response to Blue Falcon wrote on Sep 1, 2008 7:44 PM:

" that it takes a few weeks for them to figure out the pattern of how many kids eat what. The example is that on hamburger day more kids eat there so they make/order more. At any rate, they get paid for each child that has been approved for the lunches, weather they get them or not. Which was another concern of mine, They are getting the full priced money from the state/county (not sure which it is) for these lunches that have been consisting of a box of raisins, or half a bologna sandwich with still frozen peas and water. I was also told I should think about giving my daughter more cash money so she can go to one of the kiosks the school sponsors instead of depending on the free and reduced lunches. I am not sure what to say about that right now, I am just truly worried and shocked and wondering what kind of scam is going on. If I was feeding my child like that at home, CPS would be there in a blink. "

daniel wrote on Sep 4, 2008 10:25 AM:

" Everyone first off this incident happend at a local store. second off it would not do good to close the campus. I went there and there were only TWo Two school security officers not 8 not 15 just two.
so if 1800 students were in a closed campus and theres only TWO school security officers plus one school resource officer. so THREE People all together Thats not vary good odds !!!!. So not only would they have to pay for fences surrounding the whole school they'd have to pay for more security officers more food for the tons of kids that'l be eating since the campus is closed. and I dont think the school district has that kind of money. Unlesss businesses want to dontate their time. And if it is true that businesses are giving the school district money for their own interests.... Than the school board members need to be LET GO OF. That is WRONG and That needs to be investigated! "

motherofthree wrote on Sep 4, 2008 8:58 PM:

" I think if these kids want to try and act big like adults. they should get punished like adults. throw them in Jail for the day. show them the prisons too, Put them in a room with a Gang member! They want to act grown! let them get grown punishment. Let that kid visit the kid on life support everyday so he knows what he did to him! and lets not forget THE PARENTS who are very responsible for the way these kids act!!! send them to Jail with their kid too!!! make them pay fines. WAKE THEM UP!!!!!! and um throw in a couple of " How to be a Parent" classes too. I know they have "Welfare to work" so why not throw parenting classes too. after all they are getting welfare for their kids right???? "

LadyBug wrote on Sep 5, 2008 11:09 AM:

" People are so quick to blame the bad things that happen in and around town on those on welfare, trust there are many "well-of" families that are facing the same type of problems but you dont hear about it like you do when something happens at west or on the south side of town. Its time to look at the individual situations and deal with the fact that parents who dont raise their children to respect them raise children who wont respect others. Stop blaming the system and grouping all people together and direct it to those who wont and dont want to raise their children. "

c.t.corwin wrote on Sep 5, 2008 1:50 PM:

" This is pretty eye opening considering I go to Hanford West. Closing the campus would just have the fights occur at shcool. After all not everybody is in a gang. "

motherofthree wrote on Sep 6, 2008 6:19 PM:

" well you know maybe they should stop making all these fast food places we really do not need and put the money into BIGGER and BETTER caferterias with lots of varietys of healthy foods. I agree highly alot of these kids do not follow the rules like walking across the street at a red light or when they are not suppost to, or how about the fact that most of them just get to close to a fast moving vehicle expecting US to stop for them when they are Jay walking. How about the fact that we that are not in highschool would like to enjoy a peaceful lunch at a food place and you got 10 screaming high school kids screaming and laughing loudly "like OMG!!!" at a table and we cant even hear ourselves think.There is no need to be off campus.ALot of highschools have closed campus's for lunch and lived through it. Yes these fights will happen on campus but atleast these kids will be watched and delt with before one gets killed or ends up on life support again. "




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