GW student suspended after assault on campus

Violence erupted at George Washington High School campus Wednesday. A concerning video circulated throughout social media shows one student repeatedly hitting another on the head while, presumably, another recorded the incident.

In the video, the alleged assaulter could be heard warning the student who was not physically fighting back to “stay away from my sister”--- in between punches adding, “She’s here to learn.”

The victim, shielding her face from the blows, was only able to get out, “I wasn’t…” before her response was cut off by a final shove to the side of her head, knocking her back. She could later be heard questioning, “What are you saying?”

It’s a display of violence a recent GW graduate said she witnessed during her time.

“There were fights, but it wasn’t–yeah, it would be like once every quarter, it wasn’t like every day," she said.

KUAM reached out to Guam Department of Education spokesperson Michelle Franquez about the situation, who says that the GW administration addressed the matter as soon as it happened.

It's a quick response time from GW administration to situations like these that this gecko alum says she can attest to from personal experience.

"I feel like they reacted quickly enough–no one got seriously injured in my time at GW," she said.

Franquez confirms that the student victim was taken to the nurse, has since returned to school, and appears to be okay.

She said the administration was out greeting students by the bus when they witnessed the situation. This as one staff member is typically assigned to each wing to supervise.

GW administration issued the following statement, “Each wing covers quite a large footprint of the campus. While the staff member was in the assigned wing, the staff member was not in the immediate vicinity of the incident. Students take advantage of this and commit the offenses.

In the meantime, the school admin clarified no report of bullying was given to the student Support Office prior to the incident.

It's a serious matter that has the former gecko calling for more proactive measures to curb students resorting to violence at school.

“Although we do have counselors there at GW, they’re already bombarded with our schedules and whatnot, and stuff from the teachers; I feel like GW and every other high school should have some sort of person there to sit down and talk to," she said. "Cause sometimes, all a person needs is someone to sit down and listen and talk to.”

GW admin said that while they have taken a proactive approach to violence, “The teachers went over the school-wide rules in all classes for the first two weeks of school. In addition, grade-level assemblies were held to reinforce teachers’ efforts. The school’s adopted zero-tolerance policies on drugs and violence were the main focus of the assemblies.”

In the meantime, Franquez said an allegation of assault was given to parents, as the aggressor is suspended for ten days. Due to the seriousness of the assault, the school has elevated the consequence and will request a Disciplinary Action Council hearing, which will determine if the aggressor will remain in school or be expelled. as GW administration met with the victim and her grandmother.

She adds, “GDOE does not tolerate violence on campus. Our children and employees deserve a safe school environment. GDOE encourages parents to ensure their children continue to follow the behavioral expectations of their schools and ask that they remind their children to be aware of the serious consequences of engaging in violent behavior, both to others and to themselves.”

The videographer has not been identified at this time. If anyone has any information
regarding this, GWHS has a WhatsApp hotline that information can be sent to. Numbers are not
stored, and information is kept confidential. The hotline number is 671-300-3012.

 

 

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