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A police investigation continues following a series of large fights which broke out at Junction City High School one week ago. The above video, shared publicly following the incident on a student’s Instagram page, shows how quickly the situation escalated.
Since the March 24 incident in the building’s cafeteria, 14 students have been suspended. Geary County Schools Superintendent Dr. Reginald Eggleston weighed in on the situation Wednesday on KMAN’s In Focus, where he noted steps are being taken to discourage acts of violence.
“We try to use each one of these as a teachable moment, for the rest of the building, and help students learn how to use conflict resolution skills, how to reach out to counselors, social workers and administrators in their building, in the event that there is a disagreement,” he said.
Eggleston says he typically visits the high school 3 to 4 times per week. And while he says safety remains a top priority, Eggleston adds that it goes well beyond just speeches from the superintendent.
“That’s one of the things we’re trying to do is build a community so that everyone is a part of the community and feels like they have a voice in it. By empowering students to share and to inform the adults who are there overseeing the building, it helps us intervene,” he said.
A Junction City Police spokesperson told KMAN in an email Tuesday that the investigation is ongoing and that no further information about the incident could be shared publicly.
Nothing, he says, will stop incidents from occurring, but the district plans to continue to focus on early intervention to minimize future incidents.
One approach, which is happening this weekend is through the district’s once a semester Parent University, which coincidentally is planned for Saturday. Eggleston says the timing couldn’t be better given the recent developments.
“We will be covering some topics that we believe are significant to parents and it’s just an opportunity to help them to get in front of issues and have really healthy, positive conversations with their students,” he said.
Among the scheduled speakers are the USD 475 Director of School Improvement, Intervention and Assessment and members of the Junction City Police Department will facilitate a discussion with parents.
The event is planned from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at the H.D. Karns Building at 300 West 9th Street in Junction City.
Childcare will be provided for school-aged children.
