Facebook
Fark
Digg
Reddit
Stumble
By Paul Takahashi (contact) 
Friday, Oct. 5, 2012 | 4:20 p.m.
A number of Chaparral High School students were pepper-sprayed after a fight broke out around lunchtime Friday at the school. Parent Aaron Aguirre said he received distraught calls shortly after 12:30 p.m. from his son and daughter attending the central Las Vegas Valley school. Chaparral junior Selena Aguirre, 17, told her father that school police officers used pepper spray to disperse a crowd of about 100 students who witnessed a fight in the school quad. Officers sprayed randomly in the air, affecting bystanders as well as the fighting students, Selena said. In the melee, Selena — who said she was ...
Chaparral High School has seen better days.
Once among the top performing schools in the Clark County School District, Chaparral High is undergoing changes to counter dismal test scores and the lowest graduation rate in the district.
The campus located near East Flamingo Road and U.S. 95 is one of five turnaround schools not meeting the expectations outlined in No Child Left Behind.
Chaparral is now looking to clean up its reputation, touching every aspect of the school from restrooms to test scores.
Changes weren’t received well by students who openly protested the cuts to faculty and the new order that banned the use of cell phones and music players during the school day.
Under stricter rules, tardy students are locked out of classrooms, bathroom breaks during class time aren’t allowed and the lunch hour was pushed back to 1:40 p.m.
Superintendent Dwight Jones told students he’s not settling for half successes.
“Right now, 50 percent of the kids in this school don’t graduate high school. Is that acceptable to you? Think about that. Right now, some of the friends that you’re with aren’t going to graduate. Is that OK? That’s unacceptable to me. I think you guys ought to kick all of us out.”
- Year built:
- 1971
- Mascot:
- Cowboys
- Principal (Year Hired):
- David Wilson (2011)
- Enrollment:
- Approximately 2,250
- School Report Card:
- 2010-2011
Compiled by Gregan Wingert
Maybe now all these kids will head in the other direction next time a fight breaks out.
It's a different world from where I went to high school. A different world.
If that was my kid who ended up with sprayed with pepper spray by cops who are trying to break up a fight, they'd have no sympathy from me. Why the heck were they just standing around watching the fight, particularly in this day and age when people pull out knives and guns and start shooting? Teach your kids to get away from fights. I guess the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree.
A parent that was not there and did not see anything says "They used excessive force."
Does he have a video of what happen or is he just doing like many these days and looking for someone to blame or sue?
If there is a fight and you are not involved, get away from it. To many fights turn into weapons being used. Why stick around to become a target?
Teach your kids right, they don't need to be involved and don't start pointing fingers when you if did no see what happened.
I told my boys, if they are ever in an area where the police are trying to control any type of situation go the other way as fast as possible. The police do not care what, when, why, or how, they are going to take control of the problem and if they can't, back-up is just a radio call away and believe me I have never seen any officer lose a battle. Point being if you are in the area get the hell out now and I mean NOW. Then you won't have to call home.
Same parent that likely runs to school blaming the teacher for his kids bad grades.
@TomD1228...spot on re; different world. When I got into fights the priests would drag us apart, down to gym, makes us strip to shorts and put on the gloves. To get let out somebody had to draw blood or cave. I think it took about three times to get it through my very thick head. LOL
Let's see 100 students and how many officers? Umm if your daughter was doing what she should have been doing and not watching a fight then she's be ok.
Like I said..different world. The day I have to send my kid to school where security officers walk around, patrol the grounds and need to carry pepper spray is the day my kids are no longer in that school...and likely that district.
Lets see 100 students watching some fights fight. the police arrive and the fighters and students refused to disperse. fighters are getting hurt students watch could get hurt. so what should the police do? maybe offer them a free iPhone to move along. Well control has to be taken.The Police did what they are trained to do.Take that to courts and see how far it will go,with the ambulance chasers.The ambulance chasers will have a hard time working this to there advantage.Police have a hard job when called into service most people don't see the whole picture. most of the time civilians have no idea how much training police get for situations just like this. So stop with the Crying about abuse with pepper spray. Its non lethal that's why its used. Guess what its made from peppers.
Oh, Por Favor, go to LULAC or LaRaza immediately, according to two recent Mexico supreme court rulings: Juan Jose Lopez Sanchez V. Arizona & Maria Martinez V. Arizona if any Students in any school that has a 10% Hi-spanic population gets peppered sprayed you are entitled to 480 American Dollars added to an EBT card for a period of not less than 196 months. This is for real I've seen it on MSDNC.
Life is tough, but it's tougher when you're stupid.
Those poor children. Those poor whiny children. Those poor, whiny, spoiled children. I think the school police need Tasers.
The real question here is why were they fighting? Is this a gang warfare? Who was fighting?
Are there no video tapes of the fight?
The school, clearly states that they have a problem with fights at lunch.
Well, put is video cameras so that everyone involved is easy to identify. Then remove the trouble makers from the school and put them in a school for trouble makers.
Police may have taken "control" of the situation BUT they did not show that fighting is wrong, that there are consequences for fighting and that police can be trusted to do the right thing.
Aaron they shouldn't use peeper spray because some kids may be allergic? Well how about tasers or battons? Can't be allergic to them.
The fight could have come her way and gotten her trampled and kicked. Don't stand close to a bull fight either.
So why isn't Mr. Aguirre upset over the fact that his precious daughter was so close to an altercation that the school police was trying to break up that she was sprayed in the face? Any innocent bystanders would have long since cleared the area, which leaves you with a crowd of "100" egging on the fight.
My suggestion to Mr. Aguirre is to teach your daughter responsibility for her own actions, although at 17 it's probably too late.
From what I read, most commentors believe the police acted appropriately. I agree. I remember fights in school and how bystanders, rather than trying to stop them, urged the fighters on; cheering as the blood flowed. No doubt much of this was going on in this case. I feel no sympathy for those on the sidelines enraptured by the violence unfolding before them. They may not have thrown a punch but are just as culpable as those that did.
Comment removed by moderator. Inappropriate
Comment removed by moderator. Name Calling
In elementary school, children are taught to remove THEMSELVES from negative behaving individuals or events. Furthermore, they are told not to expect such negative behaving individuals or events to move or leave, that they must take the initiative and leave. Afterall, birds of a feather, flock together....or, guilt by association.
This is a lesson learned in elementary school, so older young people SHOULD have learned this and be practicing this into adulthood. Simple common sense.
This situation at Chaparral High could have evolved into something far worse had not the School Police intervened.
Blessings and Peace,
Star
Please permit me to add, that if there is NO audience, fights will descalate in short order. The more attention by crowds to a fight, the more violent and involving they become.
Hence, removing one's self from such a situation, and electing not to add power to a fight, nor potentially become a part of an outcrop fight.
Experience in Correctional Education and Alternative Education has provided me such insight.
Blessings and Peace,
Star
Two Officers were present at the onset and three additional responded. I wasn't there obviously so monday morning quarterbacking is pointless. Police Officers would be foolish to wade into a fray as they become in danger of injury and possibly losing their own weapons while rolling around fighting hence the pepper spray, no brainer. My questions would be, why was the local PD not dispatched in concert with the three additional school PD Officers and if these kids were actively fighting, why did the two initial Officers wait so long to employ their pepper spray. These Officers should know and understand the force continuum and it sounds to me like politics played a part in the decision to wait for additional resources. If announced in a loud commanding voice, I am going to use pepper spray, it will hurt and anyone here is going to be effected, then then spray is employed, anyone effected made a choice to be effected and any parent taking issue with that should take pause before comment.
@those whom would find it necessary to use racially charged rhetoric as the basis of an argument, are ridiculous.
I don't on the whole disagree with any of the comments posted; but, anyone over 40 ( I am over 50 ) who attended schools in this area: first you didn't have multiple school police at your high school (which all CCSD high schools have), second you probably didn't have school officials with firearms or weapons of less lethal force (pepper spray or taser ), third, you didn't attend under zero tolerance policies ( I could have been involve in a fight and gotten into serious and painful trouble, but never thrown out for first or minor altercations, such is the case today), fourth, current student body populations at high schools today, are much greater than when we attended. So we don't as a whole relate to current day schools. As an aside, you probably have never been spayed with or inhaled the drift from pepper spay, I never have and I can't say how my breathing would be affected. And even if you were attempting to leave the area, you could inhale some of the pepper spay, and had your breathing affected. I am neither condoning nor condemning CCSD actions to disperse the crowd, and it may have been the best and safest way to subdue the belligerents. This is a reality of all students in high schools in Clark County and to a lesser degree in junior high schools.
Chances are as a kid in school, you did gather around and watch when a fight broke out ( it is a typical thing people in general, let alone teenagers do ). I'm not saying it is the right thing to do, but it is not abnormal human behavior to gawk and to a lesser or greater degree, incite. Juveniles, especially of the male gender, aren't know for their level-headedness or immediate obedience to authority. That being said, IMHO ( and I stress H ), the biggest things to have changed for schools are modern kids of modern parents ( meaning all things modern parents are, do, and have to do ), the schools' loss of institutional autonomy for good or bad, technology, and our CULTURES' acceptance, glorification, and embrace of societal violence.
Kids are still kids; so, they will continue to make poor decisions. So don't just hate, try to spectate through your spectacles of time gained wisdom.
Given the stats listed it seems the school is doing a great job, the parents should be thanking them. The parents should also be telling their kids to stay away from any fights that may erupt not be standing around and watching. The students that got a little spray had the chance to leave when the officers asked them. My parents would have disciplined me when I got home not go cry to the school.
A challenge for school police is that fights range from guys being guys to gang initiation and payback involving both guys and girls. Some of the kids come to school armed with knives and guns. Sorry for the incredibly stupid girl caught by pepper spray but she should not have been there. The police did the right thing to de-escalate quickly.
Is there any video footage suggesting that police acted accordingly? no, just as there is not video footage of the opposite taking place. Has anyone here interviewed anyone involved in the incident as I have? probably not. My information and opinions are based on the interviews that I conducted personally after receiving the call from my daughter. If any of you are parents you probably would have a defensive reaction as I did initially. I delayed in responding to the incident until I had gathered more information in order to have a clearer picture of what happened. I agree with law and order and social ordinance, what I don't agree with is excessive force. According to police they sprayed randomly, meaning with no specific aim, meaning they didn't care if kids who were not involved got sprayed. I know my daughter isn't a perfect human being but I also know that she did not deserve to get pepper sprayed just because she was in the area of a fight. I can imagine being a police officer is a tough job but this is a bit too much force to use on kids. This is beginning to be a trend in high schools and I believe this procedure needs to be reviewed and changed to something more effective. This procedure is like a "casualties of war" mentality, "As long as we break up the fight who cares if we injure bystanders".
Mr. Aguirre sends me an email about my comments here.
He "knows" even though he was not there.'
Maybe next time the police should just stand back and watch as the fight gets more out of control, guns or knives become involved and his "bystander" daughter ends up hurt or worse.
What would he have to say about the police and their actions then?
Teach your kids personal responsibility and stop looking to blame others before your kids end up hurt by more than pepper spray.
@vegaslee - You don't "know" that my daughter was guilty of anything or exactly what she needs to be resposible for do you? I agree with taking responsibility for things that "you" are responsible for. You for example, are responsible for telling someone whom you do not know that he does not take responsibility for himself or his children without "knowing" what actually happened or if my daughter was doing something wrong. Now "you" accept responsibility for your self rightous comments based on your limited knowledge of a situation.
How is it that people just go off and assume that people are always trying to sue or put blame on someone just because they voice their opinion on how a situation was handled. I also have a student at this school and he was sitting at his lunch table when he said the fight broke out, he also got sprayed and he was simply trying to get away from it. I agree with Mr.Aguirre they should find a better way to handle this kind of situation it wasn't a gang fight it was 2 kids fighting. A kid could have had a bad reaction to the spray and died all because the cops decide to just spray everywhere. What if it was your child in that situation and had nothing to do with it I'm sure you would be upset even if you say your child knows better.
@ vegaslee - You are anchoring your opinion on the belief that my daughter was doing something wrong by being in the vicinity of the fight. There were kids crowding and there were kids trying to go back to class, how do you "know" factually that my daughter was not one of the kids trying to go back to class? you don't. You are grounding your opinion on a general oppostionary point of view against people abusing the judicial system for monetary gain. You have also made the fallacious assumption that this is the reason behind this story, I assure you it's not. I strongly believe had it been your child that got pepper sprayed by police you would have a different opinion. Your opinion and agrument are both weak in basis since you have 0% tangible information aside from your own unrelated experiences from your past and personal biases. I don't want money from the school or the CCSD Police department. I want a simple apology and ownership of responsibility on THEIR behalf for what happened. A simple "Hey, we may have sprayed your daughter for merely being in the area, WE ARE SORRY if she had nothing to do with it but if she did please address this with your child, thank you". They (The School and CCSDPD) are the ones not taking responsibility for this and this is the reason why I am upset. I imagine they will not make this kind of statement because THEY fear being sued. They care about not getting sued more than they care about making things right with the parents of the kids which were affected without any fault of their own. If my daughter was at fault I challange someone to prove it to me with factual data aside from the fact that she got sprayed, that in itself doesn't prove anything. If it's getting to the point of spraying kids with mace in school, we have to work with the school and get everyone informed so precautions can be taken, not just ASSUME that kids are supposed to know the protocol for this type of situation.
As a teacher who has been involved in a number of these situations in the past, Mr. Aguirre, the protocol is very simple. LEAVE THE AREA!!!!LEAVE THE AREA!!!!!LEAVE THE AREA!!!! If you don't want anything to happen to your daughter, tell her to run, not walk as far away from the area as she can. I don't know of anybody getting hit with pepper spray if they were not in the area when it was used.
Teacher, it is obvious that all staff and CCSDPD supporters are attmeting to "Twhart" a lawsuit. You have no compassion for these kids. I imagine you're one of those frustrated educators who hates the kids they teach and thinks they deserve any punishment they receive weather if it's justified or not. Instead of giving advise on what I should be telling my daughter maybe you should ask yourself what YOU can do to help the situation in the future. Maybe you and the staff should give the kids handouts to take home letting parents know their kids are allowed to be pepper sprayed while on school campus. Teacher, your writing appears to express some anger, what or who exactly are you angry with. Are you angry because MY daughter got pepper sprayed? Are you angry because I did not receive any explanation from your coward principal? or are you angry because the parent doing the complaining has a hispanic last name? I tend to believe that the latter has more to do with your motivations for responding to this thread. The actions of the police were inappropriate plain and simple. If this kind of thing was occuring in your school it is your job and RESPONSIBILITY to take action to avoid future situations by EDUCATING the kids and COMMUNICATING with the parent. I say communicating with the parent because it is not your job to teach me anything but it is your job to communicate with me about what may affect my kids. The communication has failed on your part and continues to do so when instead of using this as a means to begin the communication process all you can do is say things like "you should this" and "you should that". YOU should have a little compassion and understanding for these kids, especially the ones who really did nothing wrong. Being in the area of a fight does not warrant the punishment of getting pepper sprayed in the face.
I am wondering if all of you would have responded the same way had my last name been Smith or Johnson or if this would have happened at Silverado High School. This could explain the lack of empathy and the need to lecture instead of understand.
If my daughter gets pepper sprayed by police- too bad. She has been told numerous times not to watch or be involved.
So many common sense posters seen here- (for a change). Now if we can only get that common sense to follow you into the voting booth next month....
I can remember this happening to me when I attended Chaparral in the late 90's. I was a good 20 meters away from the scrum, but because of the way those hallways act as wind tunnels I caught a solid whiff of the stuff. Most unpleasant. Glad to see Chap has advanced to the point where people will at least question the wisdom of the mass pepper-spraying of children.
The bright side was that I knew what to expect when I went through the tear gas chamber at boot camp the following year.