Calif. School Security Increased After Brawls, Student Arrests
Hawthorne police are expected to remain on the Hawthorne High School campus for the remainder of the month.
A California high school that was the site of several outbreaks of violence between students Nov. 10 resumed classes Thursday with increased security measures.
Hawthorne High School brought in an increased number of Hawthorne police officers for its first day back after fights involving as many as 300 students broke out earlier in the week, according to mynewsla.com.
Many parents elected to keep their children home on Thursday, although there were no reported incidents of violence. Counselors were also available to students on campus who feared for their safety.
Around 12:40 p.m. Tuesday several groups of students began fighting as large crowds of students gathered around. Cell phone and school security cameras captured the chaos as students threw trash barrels at one another and officials struggled to control the violence.
Three students were arrested that day and as many as 30 students have already been suspended or expelled. Hawthorne police continue to study footage of the fights and investigate the incident.
Several parent meetings are being planned to discuss the incident after a tense meeting took place Nov. 12.
The increased security is expected to be maintained until the end of the month. Normally Hawthorne High School employs at least one school resource officer.
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