Two students arrested after high school fight hurts assistant principal

Two students at Rogers High School in Hillyard were arrested Monday after a fight that hurt an assistant prinicipal.

School officials said at about noon and while students were at lunch, two students – a freshman and a sophomore – got into a fight in the school’s cafeteria. Kevin Morrison, spokesman for Spokane Public Schools, said an assistant principal was assaulted when he attempted to intervene.

“[The] administrator went up to separate and work with them,” he said.

Morrison wouldn’t divulge specifics of what happened, but said the principal and one of the students was injured enough to warrant both students getting arrested and transported to the Spokane County Juvenile Detention Center, where they could face either misdemeanor, felony charges, or both.

A spokesperson for the Spokane Police Department was not available for comment Monday.

Morrison said both students were trained boxers, which could explain why the fight was elevated past a simple school fight, with discipline handled by the district.

“They were good at what they do,” he said.

Morrison said the assistant principal was still at school after the assault. One of the students was treated for a busted lip.

Officials were unsure Monday if the altercation was filmed. According to the Rogers High School Student Handbook, cellphones are permitted, but should not be visible during class time, unless used for instructional purpose. Since it was during lunch, Morrison said cellphones would have been widely in use.

In May last year, the district came under fire from parents after some voiced concern over a policy that requires students to delete footage of school fights, or they could face disciplinary action.

The reaction from some in the community was spurred from a fight at Chase Middle School on the South Hill, where two girls were filmed punching and kicking each other. Mark Sterk, the district’s safety and security director, said then that videotaping fights is “encouraging it.”

While that fight did not enter the criminal realm, it’s unclear whether the same no-recording policy would apply to Monday’s quarrel. Since it is a criminal matter, the footage could be considered evidence, Morrison said.

“Once it’s handed over to the Spokane Police Department for adjudication, they take over as the lead agency,” he said. “But once again, these are hypotheticals at this point.”