Jolted by a brawl between two South Side grade schools this week, educators and community leaders worked Friday to craft a truce and confront an apparent breakdown in discipline both at home and in school.
“I think as a community of adults we have not done a good job of serving these kids,” said Chicago schools chief Arne Duncan, who met with parents and pupils at both schools in the Roseland-West Pullman neighborhoods.
Duncan also acknowledged criticism from parents who said the schools knew the violence was escalating and should have done more to prevent it.
“I did get the sense today that this has been simmering for a long time, and we are checking for answers on why this wasn’t addressed earlier,” he said. “I want to emphasize that students from both schools did things to initiate this, and we will have no tolerance for the perpetrators of violence.”
The fight, which sent 19 children to area hospitals, broke out on the playground of Songhai elementary Thursday morning shortly before class. Pupils from nearby Curtis attacked Songhai youngsters with boards and bats in what parents said was a continuation of a graffiti war and fight the previous day.
Twenty-three youngsters ages 11 to 13 were charged as juveniles with mob action following the melee.
Rev. James Meeks, pastor of the nearby Salem Baptist Church, said a lack of services at Curtis contributed to the problem. “It’s an accident waiting to happen,” he said. “[The pupils] don’t have anything else to do.”
Others stressed a lack of adequate discipline–from parents and school officials–as a factor.
“These children are running their families and the school instead of the other way around,” said postal carrier Carole Sparks, who delivers mail to both Curtis and Songhai, formerly Scanlan School.
Songhai pupils have bombarded her with snowballs while she is working, Sparks said, and she has had to navigate around pupils who are fighting and cursing.
“You complain to the school and nothing happens,” Sparks said.
Curtis’ new principal, Dushon Brown, took over earlier this year from Lester Gaines, whose contract was not renewed by the local school council. Neither Brown nor Songhai Principal John Bradley Jr. would comment Friday.
