AMHERST — In consultation with the Northwestern district attorney’s office, Amherst police are seeking assault and battery charges against individuals connected to recent altercations at Amherst Regional High School.
The court summonses for show-cause hearings are being pursued following the department’s completion of two investigations into reported incidents, said Police Chief Scott Livingstone.
No additional information about those fights or the number or identity of those who would be summoned to court was immediately available on Monday. Livingstone previously said five parents whose children have been victims of alleged assaults had contacted his department seeking police involvement.
The topic of fights was brought up in emails sent to parents and guardians by Principal Talib Sadiq, including one that came the day after a March 21 fight that prompted a response from medical professionals to evaluate a person who might have been unconscious.
These fights, along with other incidents of vaping, smoking and vandalism, led to the promulgation of new rules that limit students’ use of bathrooms and cellphones. Those rules were announced at assemblies in the first week of April, and since that time, Superintendent Michael Morris said, the school has had productive and quiet days.
Morris addressed the recent incidents during the April 5 Amherst Regional School Committee meeting, where he said that there had been a rocky start to the school year, but that things had calmed down until another difficult stretch.
“It was something we noticed as students returned” after spending a year away from in-person school, Morris said. But he noted the Amherst schools are not alone in observing the social impact of students missing a school year. Some of the conflicts are bringing in issues from the outside into the school.
To address some of the problems, Morris said the school has added a cultural support position through an earmark in the state budget added by Sen. Jo Comerford, and is using more hall monitors.
“We are marshaling resources to improve the situation for all students at the high school,” Morris said.
Morris said the school is also partnering with the new town department Community Responders for Equity, Safety and Security to be a presence, and in fact CRESS director Earl Miller attended the recent assemblies.