The West Bend Current

After school on Friday, a serious physical altercation involving multiple students took place outside of the West Bend East High School entrance, causing rumors to circulate on campus and in the community. The Current staff reporters Dakota Gunnare, Zach Church and Noah Mintie talked with Dave Uelmen, WBHS associate principal, to separate fact from fiction.

Rumor: There were a lot of serious injuries. Someone even broke their neck!

Fact: According to evidence acquired by the administration, the most serious injuries sustained by students were a concussion and a broken finger. “That was confirmed, I followed up with phone calls with the families,” Uelmen said. There is no evidence that any worse injuries took place.

Rumor: The high school staff “didn’t do anything” about the situation.

Fact: Administration was the first to respond to the altercation. As soon as they were alerted they began the process of breaking up the fight directly. After the fight had calmed down, administrators immediately began the process of investigating the event. The school is currently in the process of conducting interviews with all those involved in the altercation. The investigation will lead to appropriate school consequences for those involved. Multiple emails were sent to parents and students alerting them to resources they could use to report information and receive emotional help. During homebase on the following Monday, a video was shown to all students addressing the fight.

Rumor: It took staff over 10 minutes to respond.

Fact: As soon as the staff was aware of the altercation, they took immediate action. The first to respond was Uelmen, who stated that he arrived and interfered 2 minutes and 42 seconds after the incident began. “We only know what we know,” said Uelmen. “As soon as somebody came and said something to us, we took action.” Uelmen also stated that the response would have been even sooner if witnesses had alerted the office more quickly.

Rumor: Someone got dragged out of a bus window.

Fact: Footage captured by bus and school cameras confirms that while a student did exit a bus window, that individual appears to have done it of their own accord, and was not pushed or dragged by another student. There is currently no evidence to suggest otherwise.

Rumor: The involved students fought twice, once in the morning and then again after school.

Fact: There were not multiple fights on Friday. However, Uelmen indicated that there was a disagreement between some of the same students in the morning. The administration team already addressed this buildup to the fight during the school day Friday. “There were consequences and follow-ups with parents,” Uelmen said.

Rumor: Someone who was breaking up the fight was charged with felony abuse of a child.

Fact: According to the West Bend Police Department, five subjects are facing felony charges of physical abuse of a child. A media release from the police noted that “During the ensuing investigation, one of the initially detained subjects was determined to have been actively trying to stop the fight and was released.” Uelmen adds that there will be both legal and school consequences for those involved in the fight.

Rumor: Students were not given enough medical attention, because the priority was to simply arrest students.

Fact: As soon as paramedics arrived on the scene, the students received medical attention. “There was one student who needed more medical attention than others,” Uelmen said, “Everybody got medical attention shortly thereafter.” It was the priority of the administration to give medical help to all those involved as soon as the situation had de-escalated.

Rumor: The fight was a hate crime.

Fact: Although administration has not completed their interviews with all those involved in the fight, based on footage and current information there is no evidence the fight was a hate crime. Uelmen says he understands why viewers might arrive at that conclusion based on the videos alone, but that he can confidently say that wasn’t the case. “It was about students making bad decisions,” Uelmen said. He reports that the fight stemmed from a typical high school/middle school conflict that had occurred that morning.

Rumor: Having Social Emotional Learning (SEL) classes clearly doesn’t work.

Fact: Uelmen would like to remind readers that SEL working is reliant on the voluntary application of the principles it teaches. The process of SEL, which starts in elementary school and builds throughout middle school, is intended to create the underlying respect for others that is necessary to create a better school community. An isolated event is not reflective of the larger process being effective or ineffective. Teaching SEL does not guarantee conflicts will never happen. It is also impossible to measure how many conflicts SEL lessons have prevented. Uelmen says that 2000 kids and 250 staff members work together on a daily basis and for the most part create a respectful and orderly community from 6:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. every day. “I’m still very proud to be an employee in the West Bend School District,” he said.

Rumor: The West Bend School District is downplaying the fight.

Fact: The district wants to be as transparent with students and the community as possible. However, due to respecting the privacy of those involved and the fact that the investigation is ongoing, there is a limit to the amount of information that can be released. There are legal parameters that must be followed. “What we can tell you, we are telling you,” Uelmen said. “This is a black eye on our high school. But it does not define us.”

– By Dakota Gunnare, Zach Church and Noah Mintie, Current Staff

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(Top image: In this photo taken from inside a parked bus, law enforcement, students and staff gather at the scene in the aftermath of a serious fight on the West Bend East High School campus. Photo taken Friday by Keaton Beltmann, Current Staff.)