Markham addresses safety, security issues at MCHS
By Kristi Reed
After three fights over a two-day period, Mill Creek High School principal Jim Markham sought to reassure parents concerned about safety and security at the school.
“Mill Creek is a very safe school,” Markham said. “The perception that we are unsafe is unfounded. Our kids are very safe here.”
Six students are facing criminal charges, including fighting and disruption of a school, after a physical altercation at Mill Creek High School on March 18.
The fight received widespread media attention and raised parent concerns after video of the fight was posted on several web sites. Two smaller fights the following day prompted Markham to address students and parents regarding the incidents.
In a video posted on the school’s website, Markham said he wanted parents to know three things: “One, we are on duty at all times. We do not turn our backs when students get into altercations at Mill Creek. Two, we have a plan to maintain the security of our school and, three, fighting is not the norm for behavior at Mill Creek.”
SECURITY CONCERNS
In light of the March 18 disruption, Markham said he would be conducting a thorough review of the safety and security measures in place at the school.
With over 4,000 students, Mill Creek High School has the largest student population of any high school in the state. The 457,000 square foot school was built to house 3,250 students. With numerous points of entry and exit, physical security is a real concern for school administrators.
“We have a safety and security plan,” Markham said. The plan includes not only physical security of the building, but training of teachers and staff in how to handle any emergency situation that may arise.
While the school is not currently equipped with metal detectors, Markham said other security measures are in place. With the exception of the bathrooms, every part of the school is under video surveillance, according to Markham. The school has security personnel on duty prior to and after school. Additionally, school staff is assigned to monitor halls and common areas during the school day. There is also one school resource officer assigned to the Mill Creek cluster, but that officer’s time is divided between the high school and the middle and elementary schools in the cluster.
According to Markham, school personnel wear photo identification at all times and are trained to approach any unfamiliar persons within the school and offer assistance. The school also has security personnel to monitor the parking lots.
INTENDED TO FIGHT
At the time Tuesday’s fight took place, four teachers, a security guard and a school administrator were actively trying to calm the large group of students when the situation turned violent.
Markham said he doubts if anything could have prevented the fight.
“Those boys intended to fight. There were four grown men trying to get them to listen to reason and they fought,” he said.
“Those young men were out of control. There was absolutely no respect for authority. The consequences of their actions will reflect their lack of cooperation and respect for authority as well.”
Markham said it took fifteen to twenty minutes to restore order after the incident.
“We did, I think, a very credible job of putting things under control,” he said. “It was a serious fight, it was also handled quickly and appropriately.”
In response to criticism from parents regarding the handling of the incident, Markham asked that everyone await the outcome of the investigation and allow him the opportunity to meet with his faculty to determine if anything could have been done differently.
In the meantime, Markham said he has stepped up security at the school due to concerns about reprisals.
“We have run down a whole bunch of rumors. We have to act on each and every one of them,” he said.
RACIAL ISSUES
The incident has highlighted the issue of race at the school. While comprising only 13 percent of the school’s population, the overwhelming majority of the students shown in the videotaped confrontation are African-American.
After the fight video appeared on YouTube, visitors to the site began posting comments about the incident and the students involved. The overwhelming majority of comments were racially charged.
Markham said race relations are not a problem at the school, but added that he and his staff are monitoring the situation.
“The racial tension itself at school is not high. It can become high if people keep fanning the flame and making it a black/white issue,” he said.
Many of the comments on YouTube not only made reference to the race of the students, but also included allegations of gang activity.
Markham said he has received criticism for using the word “gang” in describing the incident.
“They called themselves a gang before, but when we mentioned the word gang to them in our investigation, they said ‘We’re just family’. Regardless of what they are, they acted like thugs,” he said.
DRUG PROBLEMS
On Wednesday, Markham spoke to Mill Creek students regarding another problem Mill Creek administrators are currently confronting - drug activity at the school. Markham said he did not broach the subject of drugs in his video address to parents because he wanted to focus on the facts surrounding the fight.
According to Markham, there have been reports of students attempting to sell drugs on the campus.
“When I get the first report, I don’t have any patience for that business,” he said.
In response to reports of marijuana, ecstasy and Lortabs being offered for sale to students, Markham arranged to have drug-sniffing dogs conduct an exercise within the school.
“I have tried to be very honest with our kids and have asked our kids to please report anyone who would try to sell them drugs,” he said.
Markham said measures such as searches or the use drug sniffing dogs will be implemented as necessary.
Though the school is dealing with several serious issues, Markham wants parents to know that he and his staff have the situation under control.
“Mill Creek is a safe and secure learning environment,” he said.
