It was just last month that violence broke out in the hallways at Manchester High School. According to Manchester Police, two rival gangs had planned a brawl during class time. In the end 16 students and one parent were arrested, and a school community was shaken up.
"We were quite concerned and we were relieved it was no worse than it was," said Marcy McHugh, whose daughter attends the school.
There have been 75 arrests at the high school from mid-August to the end of December, said police. That is a number that has parents calling for a change in how things are handled at the high school.
"When you have problems in your schools, you have problems in the community and vice versa. And I think it's time the Board of Education steps up, holds the right people accountable and makes changes," said Mike Farina of Manchester.
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kathleen Ouellette took time at a meeting Thursday night to show what the school has already done to keep the school safe. For example, the school keeps all doors locks, has increased security and requires everyone in the building to wear an identification badge. However, the Superintendent also says this is just the beginning, and the school board is looking for even more changes to make.
"They are steps in the right direction. I think if they work with them and take them to completion basically, it'll help," said David McHugh of Manchester.
At the end of the night, parents' concerns weren't completely diminished, but they were glad to hear that action is being taken.
"I'm really trying to have faith in the system that Dr. Ouellette is going to do what needs to be done to turn this around," said Marcy McHugh.
"I think the community needs to come together and be creative and be thoughtful and really come up with some good solutions," said State Representative Geoff Luxenberg.
Even if those solutions take some time.
