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Mothers, Daughters Mixed Up in School Fight

An ongoing problem between two groups of girls at James Hart School in Homewood has attracted the attention of both the school administration and police.

A Homewood mother from the 1300 block of Jeffrey Drive was ticketed for assault after witnesses told police she threatened to slap a girl near 187th Street and Center Avenue around 3 p.m. on April 4.

Police said they broke up a juvenile fight near that intersection earlier in the day.

The next morning, the mom filed a police report alleging a group of girls had jumped her two children outside . Later that same day, a mother of one of those girls filed a report stating that her daughter was indeed involved in the fight, but only after trying to stop it.

In an email to parents, Principal Laure Ugo referred to the situation as "an unfortunate and extremely unusual event at James Hart.

"We in Administration take the safety of every student very seriously, and will take whatever steps are necessary to make sure that goal is realized," she continued. 

This is an ongoing problem between two groups of girls, police said, and the matter was turned over to a school resource officer for further investigation.

Resident April 12, 2012 at 06:17 pm
Disgraceful behavior! The offenders should be expelled!
(I'd also check their actual residency. If they are not enrolled legally--that is, if their primary residence is not within the James Hart boundaries--they should be made to pay back the district. You'd be surprised how many non-residents are still attending Willow School; and if they can get away with it, so can the Junior High kids.)
Rikki April 12, 2012 at 08:06 pm
Zero tolerance for this kind if behavior is the only way it will be stopped. If it isn't, HW153 will head down the same unfortunate path as some other nearby school districts. ?
Phillip R Baggs April 12, 2012 at 10:27 pm
In any other part of the country they would be expelled without debate. It would be expected.
Genvieve LaChappele April 12, 2012 at 11:13 pm
H f does exactly that! They expel for this type of behavior. They are equal opportunity about it too! They don't care who you are! We must follow their lead. Coddling these kids enables their bad behavior.
Steve Burke April 13, 2012 at 12:36 am
I forget. What was the final outcome of the H-F incident from last year? Any permanent expulsions, residency issues?
Phillip R Baggs April 13, 2012 at 12:49 am
Steve, I assume it was all handled behind closed doors. Good luck finding out.
Genvieve LaChappele April 13, 2012 at 02:21 am
actually there were quite a few expulsions. I do not glory in that as it is bothersome to have these incidents that change young peoples lives forever. That being said, many people have been removed. They are listed in the board agendas as special meetings. I'm sure the board dislikes having to do it, but it is very necessary.
Genvieve LaChappele April 13, 2012 at 02:26 am
wow. i just looked at this year's list of agendas. there were a ton of these special hearings. each one devoted to the due process of one student at a time. too many to count.
Annie M. April 13, 2012 at 02:43 am
Unfortunately, there seems to be a double standard in our society. This may just be the tip of the iceberg.
Annie M. April 13, 2012 at 02:45 am
good point. Have you thought of running for the school board?
Phillip R Baggs April 13, 2012 at 05:41 am
Due process? Sounds like we have too many lawyers on the board.
Phillip R Baggs April 13, 2012 at 05:47 am
Genvieve, can you please send a link to the HF incident special meeting? Thank you.
Genvieve LaChappele April 13, 2012 at 11:08 am
Go on h f web site click on school board then agenda and minutes. Every special meeting agenda is about student discipline. They won't reveal the outcome because of the law. My point was there has been 15 plus expulsion hearings. Residency issues are separated our also. Every meeting marked special is for expulsion.
GladvilleGirl April 13, 2012 at 03:01 pm
Due Process is a legal requirement that has nothing to do with who is on the board or what their profession is. Here's a link that explains it. http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/conlaw/dueprocesstudents.htm
GladvilleGirl April 13, 2012 at 03:06 pm
Wrong. Due process is always required, and a school administration would be foolish not to cover their posteriors.
GladvilleGirl April 13, 2012 at 03:06 pm
Here's a second, more concise explanation. http://www.legalmatch.com/law-library/article/due-process-and-school-suspension-or-expulsion.html
Toni Davis April 13, 2012 at 04:06 pm
I was appauld when I heard of the incident, I agree, The young ladies at fault should be EXPELLED, I was told that they all received a 10 day suspension. as far as assimilating into " Civil Society" And diversity being a one way street, please dont generalize all African American Parents.by ASSUMING we dont teach respect for ourselves and our culture to OUR children.
Big Mama April 13, 2012 at 04:29 pm
What if the incident involves excessive hair pulling - is that better or worse than slapping?
Resident April 13, 2012 at 04:44 pm
No difference. It's violent behavior. Period.
Phillip R Baggs April 13, 2012 at 05:55 pm
As I said, a bunch of attorneys running the show. Whatever happened to shame?
GladvilleGirl April 13, 2012 at 06:59 pm
Like it or not, these kids have a constitutional right to due process. Keep in mind that the right to due process is the same right that protects you from having your home entered by the police without a warrant.
Genvieve LaChappele April 13, 2012 at 08:02 pm
Due process should be given to all offenders. That doesn't mean they will not be punished appropriately. They can have their side heard and the board will make the call. If we do not like how they make their decisions we get to vote them out. We really have to use our power as community members to keep our schools in check. I hope people will always pay attention. Our vote has a lot of impact at the local level.
Steve Burke April 13, 2012 at 08:28 pm
I once expressed concern about one of my kids temper to his preschool teacher. She said it's OK to be mad, we just had to work with him about ways to work it out in an appropriate manner. Best advice I've ever had. Positive conflict resolutions skills start in the home, and are re-enforced the early years of school. They START in the home.
Phillip R Baggs April 14, 2012 at 01:10 am
You are right. The lawyers would find away around the due process. Can they be spanked before or after due process?
GladvilleGirl April 14, 2012 at 01:23 am
"Hey kids! Let's hit you to teach you not to hit each other."
Yeah, that works real well.
Phillip R Baggs April 14, 2012 at 09:45 am
Yeah, like putting a a criminal in prison. You only teach them to be a criminal. Maybe we just play loud Barry Manilow or the Carpenters outside of their house?
GladvilleGirl April 14, 2012 at 11:46 am
I don't object to people trying to be pithy, or having a different opinion from me. What I do object to is ignorance.
http://www.pewcenteronthestates.org/initiatives_detail.aspx?initiativeID=85899358500 So, prisons, not super-effective. Spanking kids, also not super-effective. Are there better options? Do we have the ethical responsibility to find them? Or should we continue to play Not In My Backyard and toss people in jail, kick kids out of school, and keep continuing to hope someone else will solve the problem for us?
Phillip R Baggs April 15, 2012 at 01:01 am
I suggest giving them a copy of "I'm OK, Your OK" and then send them to Disneyworld.
source May 15, 2012 at 12:15 am
This isn't an unusual thing, there's been around 39 fights since christmas break! This eight grade group is the WORST group of kids in James hart history. And that's not an opinion either. They need to step up security in schools and be more strict with punisents. There's a kid at James hart that has been suspended several times and one of the incidents includes setting a poster on fire during science. He's still there and one of his punishments included collecting trash from the garbage cans! That is just ridiculous
Grace Murray May 20, 2012 at 07:35 pm
Wow I can not belive a mom would get into a fight with her daughter, that seemes a little odd to me.

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Corey Ray competes in the Under Armour All American game at Wrigley Field in Chicago.
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