OXNARD : Schoolyard to Be Fenced After Fight

Citing a recent violent altercation, school officials have voted to fence off a playground at an Oxnard elementary school to keep outsiders away from students.

Board members of the Oxnard Elementary School District agreed to spend $4,250 to cut off access to a playground at Lemonwood Elementary School. The fence will separate the playground from adjacent Lemonwood Park.

Young adults have been entering the playground and “hassling some of our youngsters,” Supt. Norman Brekke said.

“Last week a high-school-aged boy came from the park and threw a baseball bat at another boy . . .,” Brekke said.

Lemonwood Principal Carolyn Banks said the incident involved older teen-agers who were truants from other schools.

“High school and junior high boys had a confrontation in the park and then a high school student chased a junior high student straight into our campus and threw an object at him, probably breaking his arm,” Banks said.

No Lemonwood students were injured, “but our fifth- and sixth-graders were out on their lunch break and they could have gotten hurt,” Banks said.

“We need to limit access to the school grounds because there are some people who come to the park that don’t have the best intentions,” she said. “We can provide a good environment and good supervision here, but I can’t control the whole world.”

In other business, the board Wednesday heard a report concluding that existing programs for computer-assisted instruction are effective. But Brekke said more funds are needed.

“We have an enormous need for computer instruction,” Brekke said. “Private business and industry is generations ahead of the high-tech training most school districts can provide.”