Some parents are concerned about fights on campus at high schools in the East San Jose area, and the incidents have them wondering if it's time security guards and police presence are established once again on campuses.
Worry stems from recent instances, including the fight shown in the video above which shows a freshman at Silver Creek High School being knocked unconscious by a third student who intervened in a fight.
"This does elevate to a serious level of assault. This is not a simple basic battery," said San Jose police Officer Steve Aponte. "Losing consciousness is very severe and can be dangerous."
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There have been multiple fights at Silver Creek High School since school started on Aug. 10. Two of those fights required police response. The school's principal has scheduled a Zoom meeting with parents on Wednesday to talk about the fights and explain how she plans to keep their children safe on campus.
Some parents told NBC Bay Area they believe kids feel emboldened since there are no longer police resource officers on campus.
"Yeah, they gotta have some control over it. It's sad," said a parent after watching video of a fight on campus.
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"I think there should be security on campus. Definitely.," said another parent.
Many school district across the country have gotten rid of resource officers on campus. Community groups argued that children were being arrested and getting criminal records for incidents that could have been handled by the school, not the courts.
"We have been collaborating with police, as appropriate," said East Side Union High School District Superintendent Glenn Vander Zee.
Zee hired 24 counselors instead to provide a social approach to problem solving. He also said the district is hearing from all sides about the possibility of resource officers returning.
"Others are saying no, please don’t let one isolated incident or school change the approach that we’ve been taking," he said.
