OXNARD : Officials to Increase Security at School

Oxnard High School officials, responding to parent outcry after a brawl in the school gymnasium last month, plan to increase security and step up patrols on campus.

Officials will beef up the school’s 12-member security force, adding one new supervisor and possibly expanding several part-time positions to full time, said Supt. Ian Kirkpatrick of the Oxnard Union High School District.

School administrators will recommend the number of security personnel that may be needed in a report to school district officials, Kirkpatrick said.

School officials announced the additional security at a meeting Monday with about 120 parents at the school. The meeting was the second held at the request of parents, to address their concerns about campus safety after the Feb. 27 fight.

Some students who witnessed the fight said it began with a disagreement between a black and a Latino student and grew into a gang-related brawl involving at least 50 students.

School administrators said the fight involved only 18 students. Administrators said they had no indication that gangs or racial tensions had anything to do with it.

One student was arrested and 17 others were suspended after the fight, Kirkpatrick said. School officials dismissed classes early as a precaution against further violence.

Parent Jess Ramirez said he attended Monday’s meeting out of concern for the safety of his two daughters, who attend the school.

In addition to improving security, Ramirez said he hoped that school officials would work to improve relations among the school’s various racial groups.

“We need to take into consideration that these kind of problems are happening in the whole society,” Ramirez said. “I would like for the school to acknowledge that and start dealing with it.”

Kirkpatrick said student council members are meeting to discuss ways to improve multicultural awareness at the 2,150-student school, which is more than 70% minority.