Two Schools Work Out Differences Sandpoint, Lake City Call Truce After Student Hurt

Sandpoint and Lake City high schools have worked out a long list of actions they’ll take to improve relations following last week’s attack on a Sandpoint student.

“We worked out a compromise, or a truce, I guess, where we’re not going to harp on the bad things, but work from here,” said Ben Olson, Sandpoint student body vice president.

The truce came about Tuesday morning as students, administrators, parents and board members from both school districts met here to discuss an attack that left sophomore Josh Loveless hospitalized.

Loveless was hit in the head with a large rock while riding in a friend’s car as he left the fiercely contested basketball game at Lake City High School.

Some Sandpoint students and parents blamed the attack partly on what they considered an unsportsmanlike atmosphere at the tournament game.

But an investigation into the matter indicates that a gathering of students outside the high school started with a challenge to fight between five Lake City students and three Sandpoint students during halftime at the basketball game. The students agreed to meet after the game behind the school, according to Lake City Principal John Brumley.

Word spread of the plans, and a large group of students gathered in the soccer field.

Loveless and his friends drove by the crowd, trying to work their way through post-game traffic.

While the driver of the car reported seeing students in the crowd carrying bats, police and school officials have not talked to anyone else who saw bats, Brumley said.

As the driver tried to escape the hostile crowd, someone heaved a rock through the car window. The rock fractured Loveless’s skull and he underwent emergency surgery at Kootenai Medical Center.

Loveless is now recovering at home, and may return to school as early as next week, said Sandpoint High School Principal A.C. Woolnough.

Meanwhile, Coeur d’Alene police have arrested five students in connection with the incident and others remain under investigation. Five Lake City High students were suspended for setting up the fight, and another student was suspended for three days. Two Woodland Middle School students have also been suspended for five days.

“We have meted out very strong penalties to all kids that we can identify as participating,” Brumley said.

Olson was among several students and parents who complained about Lake City students’ behavior at the game, calling it disrespectful toward Sandpoint. The day after the incident, Olson and others said that unsportsmanlike behavior set the stage for the attack on Loveless.

But after Tuesday’s meeting, Olson saw things differently.

“The main thing now, we understand that it was some individuals at Lake City who caused this, not the whole school,” Olson said.

Still, sportsmanship took up the bulk of Tuesday’s discussions.

“We want to work through the idea of creating a little different relationship because emotions are running so high on this,” Brumley said. “We want to work with our student bodies to make sure that there’s no residual effect.”

To that end, the group agreed on steps that could lead to better relations between the schools:

* A series of meetings between student leaders to address the relationship between the two schools;

* A meeting between next year’s cheerleading squads to discuss what positive impact they can have on fans and improve the relationship;

* A meeting between parent organizations at both schools;

* Expansion of the annual fall sportsmanship meeting with athletic directors, administrators and students from league schools to include a spring meeting;

* Give sportsmanship awards at each contest for Border League schools;

* Preparation of a list of student expectations for all schools in the league;

* Encourage host schools to promote positive school spirit and cooperation;

* Aggressive action, including suspension from games or school activities, against any fan or student exhibiting inappropriate behavior.