Random police checks could be increased at Cross Creek High School, officials said, after a Friday morning raid by the Richmond County Gang Task Force and Board of Education officers led to suspension of more than 30 students.
School board police increased their presence at the school Friday, concerned an off-campus fight a week or so ago might spill on to campus, Director of Public Safety Julia Porter-Stein said. The gang task force received information Thursday night that there could be retaliation stemming from the fight, though Ms. Porter-Stein had no specific information about any threat issued against the school or its students.
As a precaution, Ms. Porter-Stein, 13 of her officers, and at least 15 sheriff's deputies and investigators were posted at the school before students arrived Friday, and they conducted an "aggressive" metal detector search as students entered, she said.
Sheriff's Sgt. Blaise Dresser said they were concerned students could be bringing weapons to school, but none were found.
The suspended students are believed to have ties to local gangs, although Sgt. Dresser could not confirm which ones.
"I know that everyone suspended had some connection to some sort of gang activity at the school," Sgt. Dresser said.
Their suspensions stem from a school board rule barring students from participating in gangs or associating with known gang members.
Sgt. Dresser said several gangs, such as Uptown and the Georgia Deadly Boys, have been active at the school for some time.
Deputies and school police returned to Cross Creek as classes let out Friday afternoon as a precaution.
"Things like this can be done randomly, and hopefully it will discourage them from doing any illegal activities at the school," Sgt. Dresser said.
Reach Adam Folk at (706) 823-3339 or adam.folk@augustachronicle.com.
Comments
I saw an interview on the TV news with parent(s) of some of the suspended students. Of course, the parents comments were the same ones we always hear - 'NOT MY KID as he would NEVER be involved with gang activity.' How can the problem be solved if the parents/children are in denial?
Little gangsta wannabes ruin another school!
When are we adults going to take back our public schools from the thugs, the whiners and their enabling "parents?" How 'bout right now!
The schools are fair game just like the atmosphere of our streets are fair game for the "whatever feels good let's go do it and to heck with the consequences generations". When a nation, a people, seek to take the Almighty God out of the picture, seek to uphold and expand laws that enable a society to flaunt their passions with little regard for others then we arrive at the chaotic crossroads of a nation gone mad....There are people out there that will stand up and scream loudly about the evil our children are inflicting upon other children and adults but when it comes to actually taking their children in hand, put God first and foremost and teaching their children the differences between right and wrong or hey, let them try something new....Stop putting your own pleasurable beliefs first and take charge of the children, stop having children just to make a dollar off the backs of others...Stop hollering about the almighty free speech admendment...Stand up in one voice and announce it is no longer a good thing to take God out of our nation, it is not a good thing to allow porno and filthy language as part and parcel of our entertainment.. Until that day comes the evil will worsen...
May God bless you for standing up and saying what needs to be said, christian134. Even agnostics would do well by following the Christian principals of living together in a harmoneous society.
These searches are a joke--by the time the first bus arrives, students have texted their friends and they either throw contraband out of the bus, or the bus drivers will hide them for the students. I've had several students tell me this.
Take them to the woodshead like the parents should do.
keysplease: That is a very interesting point ! I had never thought about that possibility. But isn't there a policy against cell phones at school ?
Denali123: IMHO the woodshed is what has been, to use christian134's term, "taken out of the picture." To me, that is the reason todays children have got so far out of line !
DonH: There used to be a 'normal' way to bring up children to respect their elders, to respect the law, to respect the property of others, etc. I don't know that these were "Christian principals" but just about ALL parents followed them - agnostic, atheist, and Church goers.
Were the lockers checked? Weapons can be placed in school days ahead. Their colors can be tied to their legs under their baggy pants. Cross Creek is basicly a good school with a few bad apples, just like any other big school. The presence of local law inforcement helps any school. I am glad they were there. I do want to say congrats on pulling the 30 students out of school who did not need to be there.
Were the lockers checked? Weapons can be placed in school days ahead. Their colors can be tied to their legs under their baggy pants. Cross Creek is basicly a good school with a few bad apples, just like any other big school. The presence of local law inforcement helps any school. I am glad they were there. I do want to say congrats on pulling the 30 students out of school who did not need to be there.
Were the lockers checked? Weapons can be placed in school days ahead. Their colors can be tied to their legs under their baggy pants. Cross Creek is basicly a good school with a few bad apples, just like any other big school. The presence of local law inforcement helps any school. I am glad they were there. I do want to say congrats on pulling the 30 students out of school who did not need to be there.
Mmy..American Rose. I wonder if you will get 3 identical answers to your 3 identical questions?
My child goes to CC and it is a good school, No its a GREAT school. The only problem I have is that they won't allow parents to be a completely active in their children's lives as they need to be...and its not a school policy it a RCBOE policy. Parents need to get their acts together and step up and monitor their children more. So many parents are blind to what their children do. Just because little Bobby or little Suzie bring home all A's doesn't not mean that they are perfect children when your eyes are not on them. Parents need to be held accountable for some of this. Just yesterday several of the suspended students where on the internet putting there thoughts on their MySpace pages.....now how is that right? They should have had all of their privileges taken away and should have been grounded......We Parents need to get involved more and take back our schools, and do away with the No Child left behind rule and put kids in the schools they are zoned for.
they should catch them ,convict them ,and let a judge put them in a new gang called the united states marine corps.you know those drill instructors would love to get their hands on them .
Chief Porter-Stein and the Law Enforcement community must be the last step. The first step must be the parents who are not in denial. Parents, visit the school; talk to your child about the school enviornment; participate in PTA/PTO; visit the school and let your student know you care. If you do not condone gang life at home do not accept it at your student's school. If the student body's parents were to get involved, we can talk back the school from gangs. Know your student's friends; know the friend's parents; know the teachers; visit the school and support the school's staff. Parents must be in-charge to the student's education and development. If parents don't the gangs will!
This does not surprise me, even though there is a percentage of students who are not problems. I was a substitute at Cross Creek for the music teacher - seemed to be an easy day, right? WRONG. The first period had about 35 students - I found out that there were quite a number of students who were just dumped there because they needed an elective.
All they had to do was watch a video. Here what I experienced the first period - students playing cards and gambling, students talking on their cell phones and listening to their I-pods, students walking in and out of class, students not on the roster walking into the class, groups talking louder than the group across the class. Since they refused to listen to me, I call the front office, went ballistic with the class and office personnel, had some students removed and nearly walked out. One substitute trying to control all that disorder is unacceptable. Let me say that the only way I returned to Cross Creek as a substitute was in PE where there were other coaches available to back me up.
Richmond county is starting to over exaggerate now. After the augusta ink fiasco. Every city or town has sort of gangs. But augusta has no gangs at all im sorry. Of a bunch of people who are friends who live in the same nieghborhood is not a gang. Real gang members would have brought guns to the school whether the police where there or not. Do you think real gang members are afraid of the cops. Richmond county everything is not a gang. How come when some studentws fight and help their friends if they're losing. They're classmates or friends and thats it. But when others fight and help their friends its a gang all of a sudden. Kids have been getting into fights in highschool since highschool was first created. Why are we so afraid now
well society is paying for its sins,we were told in the 70s that spanking your child was abuse ,so it stopped ,in the 80s our children were all of a sudden given an opinion on how they should be raised ,mostley by single mothers.so in the 90s until now you have kids being raised by people who have no idea what disipline is all about.i ,as well as many other people i know were raised by old school parents that believed firmly in spare the rod ,spoil the child ,we were not abused but disiplined,we now know right from wrong ,and know respect for other people.just as an example ,this morning i was awakened by a thumping car sterio at 5a.m..now tell me this person has been taught respect.
Thank you Augusta Chronicle for printing accurate information. I did not see anything wrong from the article and I know first hand what happened at the school yesterday since I was there. My hat is off to you.
Martinez/West Augusta:
What is a "real" gang to you? I'll admit, most of these bangers are pretty sad compared to gangs like the Vice Lords and GDs we had in Chicago. But these clowns THINK they are in "gangs" and they ACT like they are in gangs (yes, they fight in a group, have initiations and signs, etc). Please, come to a Richmond County school for a few days. Especially this time of year. Tell me we don't have gang members. Hats off to the Gang Task Force and the Board. Now they need to clean out the other high schools and middle schools so we cna get back to the business of schools: educating kids who actually want to learn and are not a safety threat to everyone around them.
Start charging for the education even if it's a small fee and all of these problems will go away!!
Who cares if they are a gang or not. If they are causing problems of any king at schools or anywhere else they need to be dealt with. When I want to know what's going on at my 16 y/o sons school I ask him. The kids know more inside info then the RCBOE, RCSO, and the Augusta Chronical put together. Talk to your kids. You will be amazed at the answers you get. The Gang Task Force is a great asset to this community. If they say there's a gang problem then trust what they say. They know what they are talking about. I trust them to do what they are trained to do and I think they do it very well.
Expell their sorry behinds and let them spend the rest of their school days in boot camp!
Donohntr. You can't handle 35 kids. Start with number one. Take the phones, dice, cards and ipods. Show no fear and don't go ballistic. Office personal will be there for you. Be calm, press the panic button and request a principal asap. Tell them what is happening and they will take care of it for you. Just say cool. I learned that from another sub. Make your rules and stick to them. Sorry about the above three post.
Donohntr. You can't handle 35 kids. Start with number one. Take the phones, dice, cards and ipods. Show no fear and don't go ballistic. Office personal will be there for you. Be calm, press the panic button and request a principal asap. Tell them what is happening and they will take care of it for you. Just say cool. I learned that from another sub. Make your rules and stick to them. Sorry about the above three post.
Want to catch these kids with the goods. Come in after they are in class. Allow no students in the halls, do a lock down. Then come in and search one by one in class. Keep the ones checked away from the ones not checked. These kids are skilled at passing things from one to the other and walking away from you.
Cross Creek isn't the heaven you would think. Gangs have been present there for years. Contrary to an earlier post...these are real gangs. I challenge you to go off of Tobacco Rd and tell anyone in UPT they arn't "real". I'm not saying they are hardcore...but they carry weapons and arn't just some "group of kids."
I'm surprised the task force hasn't checked out myspace or facebook...pictures of members of Augusta gangs are everywhere... complete with gang signs, guns, drugs, and alcohol.
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