Century High principal responds to Nov. 8 fight
(ABC 6 News) – On Tuesday, Nov. 14, Century High Principal Monde Schwartz issued a letter to Century parents and caregivers in response to a Nov. 8 fight which involved a knife.
On Wednesday, Nov. 8 around 2:30 p.m. at Century High School. According to Rochester police, school administration contacted the school resource officer about a fight involving several students. Police said the boy with the knife threatened several other students and a teacher.
RPS sent a brief letter stating that a fight broke out at the end of the school day; “in the fight brandished a knife. Thankfully, the weapon did not cause an injury and was secured by a staff member.”
According to Schwartz, the goal of Century and RPS’s initial message regarding the fight was to “inform [parents and caregivers] what was happening before you saw the news from the public.”
According to Schwartz, data privacy laws restricts what information the school district is allowed to share in regards to the consequences given to the students involved. “However,” Schwartz wrote, “disciplinary steps have been and are being taken following School District policy.”
The full letter can be read below.
Dear Century Parents and Caregivers,
Monde Schwartz, Century High Principal
I am writing today to provide an update regarding the fight that occurred at the end of the day on Wednesday, November 8th. Our goal in our initial communication was to inform you about what was happening before you saw the news from the public. While we shared the basic details of the situation with you almost immediately following the incident, there were additional questions regarding what happened as well as how we might prevent things like this from happening in the future.
Due to data privacy laws, we cannot share specific information regarding consequences given to the students involved; however, disciplinary steps have been and are being taken following School District policy. This policy outlines possible consequences for fighting, which include suspension and expulsion from school.
I also want to communicate the steps we have taken to increase security at Century since the start of this school year:
• Improved security at the main entrance to Century
• Added an additional Assistant Principal position to the administrative team
• Provided specific training for Security Personnel (ESPs)
• Placed additional staff strategically in the hallways between passing times and in specific areas of the building to be a presence and reassurance to students
We are proactively working with students to define and recognize desirable behaviors. We take the safety and security of our school community seriously and recognize the importance of including student voices in solutions that lead to a safe and welcoming environment for all students and staff. In fact, today we held our first Student Summit which we scheduled last month. The Student Summit creates opportunities for students to share perceptions about their experience at Century and identify things leadership can do to improve our culture and climate. Upwards of 200 students attended today’s Summit and identified multiple student-led/adult-facilitated action teams to identify ways we can move ahead to build the culture and climate we collectively desire here at Century.
I appreciate the support and concern we have received from the Century community and look forward to continuing to make positive changes in the school.
I always welcome feedback from parents and caregivers. You can reach out to me via my email moschwartz@rochesterschools.org, or reach out to one of our assistant principals.
Thank you for your continued partnership,