Potential threats to student safety and videos of school violence hitting social media first are raising passionate scrutiny about how the Guam Department of Education (GDOE) informs its stakeholders of potential dangers on campuses. 

Vice-chair of the Guam Education Board (GEB), Maria Gutierrez, advocated for a better way to communicate these situations with GDOE parents and guardians, along with the wider island community, during this month’s GEB meeting. 

Gutierrez said, “Stakeholders have to be informed as soon as there’s something at the school, regardless if it's a real threat or not. The parents have to be informed because it’s already out on social media before the parents say, ‘Did you see this? My daughter goes to JFK, but she’s a Simon student. My son is at FB Leon Guerrero. They said there’s a lockdown there.’” 

The Vice-chair's critique comes in the wake of the recent riot at John F. Kennedy high school, where Simon Sanchez students engaged in fights during a double session on campus.

The unfortunate incident was captured and quickly circulated on social media, depicting a disturbing trend of high school violence. With GDOE superintendent Dr. Kenneth Swanson addressing both the broader scale and smaller instances.

Swanson said, “Commonalities are…alcohol has been involved in several cases. On three campuses, students came to school intoxicated. Others were drinking at school before engaging in fights. Two campuses involving three student bodies have been larger-scale fights or riots, as our regulations call them. In all cases, some participants were 18 years old and have been charged as adults–in some cases, details were not communicated to upper management and were discovered on social media.” 

While Swanson said there are steps being taken to improve the flow of information from the building level up to GDOE headquarters to stay ahead and provide resources. Gutierrez recalls a time when communication was efficient. 

“During Mr. Fernandez’s time, always on the chat: there is a bomb threat, there is a fight, all the board gets to know about it. But for us, no–we have to wait for the news tonight at 6 o’clock to find out what’s happening at the school systems,” She said.

Gutierrez added, “Parents are worried about these things happening in the states. They’re worried about their kids, so you need to let your deputies and your principals know–whether it's just a picture and it's shown at the school–and inform the parents–because if you’re not a parent, maybe you don’t worry.” 

It's a conversation to solve student violence that will continue with the island’s Attorney General on Dec. 27. 

Meantime, the issue remains among the laundry list the Guam Department of Education is hoping to tackle–the GEB receiving GDOE’s Head Start programs monthly report, as its Mar. 5 federal compliance deadline looms. 

In a meeting where Acting Director of GDOE’s Head Start program, Angelina Lape and GEB member Angel Sablan had a conversation on the topic. 

Angelina Lape: The fencing needs to be done–it can’t be a plan, it can’t be like in the process.

Angel Sablan: So fencing has to be done?

Lape: Right, because what is important is that children must have an outdoor play area that’s safe and free from all that stuff. 

Sablan: So that’s non-negotiable?

Lape: Right, the fencing area. 

Lape got word that the bid for fencing should be open by January, followed by a contract issued by mid-January and installation by the end of February. 

She added that procuring a playground apparatus should be underway to meet the timeframe set forth. 

Other areas of deficiency being addressed include getting a second opinion on testing for lead in the waters at Juan M. Guerrero, Machanaonao, and Wettengel elementary schools.   

Lape said, “They will be testing JM Guerrero and Machanaonao as well as Wettengel, the new classroom–so in July, we tested the first classroom and the cafeterias, and they passed. But now, we have this new classroom, and a sink is installed in there so we will be testing it with this new purchase order.” 

This is testing for lead in paint at P.C. Lujan elementary and the new Wettengel classroom are underway to include other improvements Head Start needs to make.