A violent classroom attack on a 14-year-old student caught on video has drawn national attention and focused a spotlight on the question of whether there are adequate security measures in place in Guilford County Schools.
In the morning on Tuesday, May 25, a group of eight people, which included a 37-year-old parent and students from other schools, went into a classroom at Southern Guilford High School and attacked a young girl. The attack (depicted in the video frame above) is thought to have been precipitated by an earlier fight at a bus stop.
The video of the attack went viral. On Thursday, May 27, one source said that CBS News had contacted parents in Guilford County and asked about the video and the incident.
A group made up largely of concerned parents – called “Take Back Our Schools-GCS” – has been offering widespread complaints as to the way the Guilford County school system is being run. The group posted the fight video on Facebook and many visitors to the page were outraged by what they saw. The video can be seen here: Take Back Our Schools – GCS , or by going to the Take Back Our Schools – GCS Facebook page.
Take Back members say the fact that this type of event can occur – a large angry mob storming onto a campus and assaulting a young teen – makes it crystal clear that school safety in the Guilford County school system is nowhere near where it needs to be.
Cindy Hammer, one of the most active members of Take Back, said that one reason this week’s assault was so alarming to so many people is that the group of attackers shouldn’t even have been able to make it into the building.
Hammer said she had already pulled her son out of the Guilford County school system due to a great many concerns. She said a large number of those concerns revolve around the actions of Guilford County Schools Superintendent Sharon Contreras.
“My kid is in private school,” Hammer said.
She cited the apparent lack of adequate security as just one reason why she and many others have been dissatisfied with the way the school system is being run.
Hammer said Take Back was formed in large part because the majority of the Guilford County Board of Education has abandoned its duties and ceded all power to Contreras.
Take Back’s self-description lists safety as a primary area of concern. The group believes the county’s school system has been politicized and the group takes issue with a great number of recent actions taken by Contreras and the school board.
“We are a group of concerned Guilford County citizens who want to make our schools safe,” the group’s Facebook bio reads. “We want what is best for all students, teachers, bus drivers, custodians, cafeteria staff, secretaries, guidance counselors, administrators, SRO’s and all other staff. A great education free of violence, harassment and racism. We also stand strong in the belief that Politics DO NOT belong in our schools.”
Guilford County Commissioner Justin Conrad said on Thursday, May 27 that, in response to the news of the fight and an inquiry that a concerned citizen made to him, he has been reexamining how the schools spent $10 million that the Guilford County Board of Commissioners allocated to the school system in 2018 for school security.
In a now-famous move, Conrad, in a commissioners work session in early 2018, made a motion out of the blue to provide the schools with $10 million in county funds to be used for school security. The motion passed and the county raised the money by selling “two-thirds bonds” that don’t require voter approval.
However, in the years that followed, the commissioners had multiple conversations with school officials about the use of those funds. Many commissioners in 2018 and 2019 complained that the schools were dragging their feet. The commissioners made the point that the funds were given to the schools to help beef up security quickly.
“It was exasperating,” Conrad said of the commissioners repeated attempts to get the schools to use the money on security.
He said the move was made in the wake of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, that killed 17 people.
Some of the money the Board of Commissioners approved eventually went to carded access systems for some county schools. Some of the money is being spent to upgrade emergency communications capabilities and some has been used for HVAC system repairs as well as window repairs and replacements.
Hammer said that security is just one of many concerns that she and other members have had about the way Contreras is running the system.
She said that she’d like to see a day when things are sane enough in the Guilford County Schools for her to put her son back in the system.
“I do want my son to go back,” Hammer said.
But right now, it sounds like a lot will need to change before she feels it’s safe enough for that to happen.
It is terrible to read about such violence. It is terrible this child endured this and other children watched the violence. It is terrible security is obviously lacking.
It is also terrible our County schools need $2 BILLION in repairs, yet the Commissioners laud a $300 million bond. The bond helps literally 6 or 7 schools, while 60 County schools failed a 2019 facilities assessment …. 60 schools where our children learn are unsatisfactory or poor.
And this school where the violence occurred, Southern Guilford, scored a 56/100 in needs being met for instructors and students. The school has failing buildings and facilities and the like. It’s not a good environment for anyone. And clearly their security is among the issues.
Teachers try, parents try, but our leaders let them down by not having proper security and facilities for our children.
And yet, when the County Commissioners and Greensboro plus surrounding Towns are getting $200,000,000 in federal COVID relief money they don’t think to spend it on schools, safety, crime, affordable housing, parks, community programs etc etc.
NO, as typical politicians they want to use millions and millions to make large landowners and developers (likely their political benefactors) more wealthy by spending federal money on new water lines throughout the County to increase development. So, we put water lines where people are happy with wells while our schools are disintegrating and lack safety and security?
This needs to be a wake up call. Our children and schools deserve better.
If our neighbors continue to vote for left leaning, liberal candidates for local government and support even more liberal appointees, this will turn the path we are on into a superhighway to destruction.
Speaking as a life long resident of this area and observer of the insidious effects of liberal policies elsewhere…
The parents took over Western Guilford High School 2002 and had the Racist Principal removed. It took confronting Her and getting her to outright Lie in front of a full assembly and media. The worthless school board refused to take any action up until this event.
Take back out schools isn’t new nor is the conduct and lack of responsible behavior by the school board.
This should highlight how vulnerable our schools are. Full and complete price cut ions should be forthcoming. Penalties cannot be high enough for adults to break into a school to beat a child. If there is not a specific law this is a really good reason to create one. Plenty of money to extend services for contractors and developers but not enough to keep our children secure.
This is and always will be a PARENTING ISSUE. Money will not stop a problem , only until it runs out.
The first and last thing that is taught at home
It’s a social , and ethical issue used to russell up more money for some other group .
IT STARTS AT HOME BY HOMES WITHOUT PARENTS.
To quote Andy Rooney, the problem is “dumb kids and dumb parents”.
Another part of the problem.
All that security can be defeated by a single student in about half a second. No disrespect to the brave men & women who are School Resource Officers, but they have no valid place in the schools. When the Police & Sheriff’s are short staffed already it makes no sense to have a uniformed guidance counselor with a badge at the door. We never had such growing up and turned out just fine. Even had guns on display in our truck window racks back then and never heard of a shooting. Ponder this: An SRO can only occupy at most about 3 square feet at a time. How big is a school campus? It is asinine to believe that ONE person can be the cure all should anything occur. They have to be notified that something is happening and then call others in, which is no different than if a teacher or receptionist called 911 and reported the incident. There are panic alarms made for schools that send pre-recorded messages directly over the air on police radio frequencies. I’m just saying the panic alarm doesn’t have to live & breathe, and if we’re honest the Resource(s) can be better spent within the agencies they work for. The schools have to figure out their own lax security & deal with the kids, the police have no responsibility in doing that for them. Stickers & participation trophies have sent our society to hell. Thanks libtards.
How’d this go from a story about a kid being jumped into a story about Contreras and where money is going?
Sounds like the author just wanted to air his grievances with the school board (for whatever reason), Dr. Contreras or secretly write up an article on “Take Back” because he knows someone in it and wants it to get some traction and he figured “Hey! Now’s my chance!”
Let’s learn to stick with the facts and the immediate surrounding facts if possible please and not waste the readers time. I just lost 5 minutes of my life reading this and only but maybe 2 small paragraphs were actually about the incident.
If your time is so valuable maybe you should try doing something else with it
Six of the eight violent criminals were GCS students. Contreras has instituted a zero suspension policy. They won’t be punished.
Look at the fruits that has borne out.
For that matter, look at what the pro-crime, convict sheriff has done. All eight should’ve been arrested on the spot, and none of them were.
This cannot ever be blamed on one person. You could possibly be at fault if you think that one person is the cause
Sharrie McCain, that is a response only a Contreras rubber stamp would give. This is not the first time an incident like this has happened. Far from it. It is about time someone in the media FINALLY covered it. This is the norm under Contreras, not the exception. To try to call this incident “a kid getting jumped in school” is irresponsible and quite frankly, ignorant.
Private school. It’s worth the sacrifice. Far from wealthy and we have made it for years. My child has never set foot in a GCS and never will. BTW go to Mendenhall. The school employees prop their back door open.
YES! I have said it many times! We cut our income more than 70% and made that sacrifice so our four could be homeschooled. We get sick of the “when do they socialize” nonsense. That’s why we have multiple co-ops and groups that all participate in things together so all in all they probably get more socialization than government school kids. If you care enough,it can be done! Cable TV? Who needs it, fancy new cars, no payments just need something reliable, new iPhone? A used Android will do. What’s more important than your kids?
I forgot to mention the home school option. Know many people who have run a successful homeschool program through co-ops and buying curriculum.
Given the current state of affairs at GCS it would be interesting to know how many, if any, of the students/parents involved actually LIVE in the Southern Guilford School Zone or if they were bused in from outside that immediate area. I’m bettin’ I already know the answer.
Southern Guilford buses in from High Point. My family attended Sumner now Southern Guilford for generations/years. It’s not the same country school it once was. My extended cousins are in charter, magnet, or private school. Cannot go where their parents went.
Why was this not written about in the local fish wrap and just curious what was the race of the people involved I bet I already know the answer
We pulled all the police radio traffic for this incident, but there wasn’t enough to bother with posting. Resource officer calls dispatch, dispatch responds, this repeats a few times until the resource officer actually turns their radio up. Lots of cars respond, but zero action on the radio once they are all on scene. Seems like the resource officer gave up chasing the folks before backup arrived and the only thing left for them to do was file a report. Everyone was already gone, no one to arrest.
Do they not have cameras? Why was no one watching exterior entrances? Is the resource officer not there to actually defend and protect? The resource officer at that school should be fired.
You dont have the facts sir. Radio aint everything
Why is there not accountability for all this millions of dollars of money, where’s the money going??? Why does the school board not require accountability???
I would be curious to know if this was a school that called for police to be removed from schools in 2020.
I have seven grandchildren in the Guilford County Schools. I am not able to to take them out of the schools. I am very concerned about their safety.
They voted-they got it.
Just like most govt buildings, and most of our politicians; they have armed guards and screenings at entrance checkpoints. How simple can it be. Our govt is worse than awful, it is criminal.
By whatever means necessary, stop people at the door, when they have no legitimate business inside the school.
Folks, this ain’t ‘rocket science!’
Greensboro and Guilford County chose their bed when they elected all the Democrats ..
when will people ever learn ?
Time for the court system to send a message that this mob mentality behavior is not acceptable! Why the heck are these low-rent, non- educated, gang parents becoming physically involved?
As much as we’d all love to see that happen, today’s liberal courts enable this behavior rather than condemn it.
Few Guilford County neighbors, friends or acquaintances (mostly EGS district) of mine enroll their kids in the schools in GCS. Instead, they send them to private, or homeschool, and some friends have taken jobs in Alamance County/Burlington to finagle their kids into those (better) schools claiming child care problems. Years ago, some bought property (empty lots etc.) for an address in Alamance County, or used a relative’s address, but last I heard GCS got wise to that, investigated and put a stop to it if they surmised (rightly, LOL) the child did not live at that address. GCS has changed many rules to stop the bleeding, but obviously, it did not include a better education. GCS only put in place rules making it more difficult to transfer to another school district. I know of no instance of anyone trying to get into GCS from Alamance County. The flow goes only one way. My thoughts are GCS cares nothing about the child, just the lost revenue. The students’ education is far down on GCS’s list of priorities, if it even makes the list.
Good thing nobody had a gun….
Lighten up Francis! This could have been so much worse! At least no guns were involved and at least nobody died. Y’all would be singing a much different tune if that happened.
The new lawless , savage culture brought home.
I’m just going to say—-If you can’t NAME a problem, you can’t even BEGIN to solve it…..
Shame.