The La Salle-Peru High School Board decided to expel two students for their actions during a fight that included the assault of a school security officer Friday, Sept. 17, on campus.
Both students were found to have physically assaulted school personnel, endangered the safety of other students, verbally assaulted the school’s resource officer, attempted to evade school security and police and destroyed personal property during the incident.
Both students will be expelled from the high school from Oct. 1, 2021, to Oct. 1, 2023.
Aside from their involvement in the Sept. 17 incident, both students were said to have an extensive history of requiring behavioral discipline.
During the 2021-2022 school year, one of the students was said to have had eight disciplinary referrals including one 10-day out of school suspension for fighting. The students also had 15 disciplinary referrals for the prior two school years including multiple out of school suspensions.
The second student has had 18 disciplinary referrals during this school year including two 10-day out of school suspensions; one for fighting and gross disrespect and the other for bringing brass knuckles to school. In the 2020-2021 school year, the second student had 11 disciplinary referrals.
“The behavior issue this evening has disrupted the learning environment,” School Board President Tony Sparks said of both students.
“The egregiousness of the physical endangerment of another student, assault and battery of security personnel, interfering with the school resource officer’s attempt to restrain another student, attempt to evade school security and police and destruction of personal property warrants the removal of this student from the school.”
Both decisions were made after the school board determined no other appropriate and available disciplinary interventions exist since all such interventions have been exhausted.
Both motions were approved by unanimous decision by the school board members present at Thursday’s special board meeting.
The disciplinary actions for two other students involved in the incident will be decided at a later time as the school board will work to acquire additional information.
Student identifications are kept confidential by the school board in disciplinary matters.