Posted on February 7, 2005

Dozens Brawl at Silverado High

Mike Cruz, Daily Press (Victorville, Cal.), February 5, 2005

A Silverado High student may have suffered a broken arm and a former student was arrested when a riot erupted among dozens of students during an assembly at the high school Friday afternoon.

Students and administrators estimate that between 30 and 50 students participated in the chaos and fighting that broke out between black and Hispanic students during the second assembly in the school’s gym just before 2 p.m., officials said.

Some estimates said well over 100 students were involved.

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“It was divided along racial lines,” said Superintendent Greg Lundeen, of the Victor Valley Union High School District. “A lot of the issues are from students that are new to the area and new to the system.”

Most of the problems on the campus are caused by a small percentage of students, some of whom also took advantage of the fight to cause problems and get out of class early on a Friday, officials said. District officials said they were pleased with the way the fights were handled by administrators.

As a result of the brawl, school and district officials have canceled all assemblies at Silverado through the rest of the school year, said Lundeen. However, all sporting events will continue to take place, he said.

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