Tensions flare at CCS meeting in wake of stabbing
Student wellness policy called ‘stop and frisk’
Tensions flared among Columbus Board of Education members at a Wednesday night meeting as they deliberated on what was supposed to be a routine piece of student wellness legislation that took on new meaning for some in the wake of a student stabbing Friday at Mifflin High School.
At the meeting, the Board of Education discussed a piece of legislation that would put the district in compliance with state law surrounding Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports (PBIS).
PBIS is a “framework that guides school teams in the selection, integration and implementation of evidencebased practices for improving academic, social and behavior outcomes for all students.” Schools use the approach to address discipline and improve school safety and promote positive behavior. State law has required Ohio school districts to implement a PBIS framework since 2021.
Board member calls policy ‘stop and frisk,’ resulting in being called out of order by president
Board Member Tina Pierce said she wouldn’t support the PBIS legislation because she wanted more time to deliberate on it in the wake of a student stabbing another student during dismissal at Mifflin High School on Friday as well as community concerns about extra security measures that have been added.
Over the weekend, the district informed all high school parents across the district that the safety and security team would begin conducting additional screenings of students’ bags before school. The increased security measures also include returning to daily random screenings and layering the use of hand-held metal detector wands with the district’s new detection scanners.
“I will not support a stop and frisk policy,” Pierce said during the voting after which she was drowned out by other members. “So, no.”
Board President Jennifer Adair banged her gavel and said that Pierce
was “completely out of order” with her characterization of the proposed policy. “I take it,” Pierce responded.
The vote passed with only Pierce voting against it, although Board Vice President Christina Vera initially voted to table the legislation, saying more community input may be needed.
“In light of what we’ve been dealing with most recently, this policy does deserve another look I believe before a final decision,” Vera said during the discussion portion of the meeting before a vote where she approved the policy.
Board Member Carol Beckerle expressed confusion, saying that “PBIS wasn’t on debate, one way or another we need to have it.”
Columbus interim superintendent called rumors ‘misinformation’
Kaleem Musa, a 38-year-old father of five, said receiving the communication at 10 p.m. on Saturday about what he said are essentially “stop and frisk” policies made him furious.
“We felt appalled, disrespected, by the communication,” Musa told the board during public comment Wednesday night. “It felt sneaky; it felt like it lacked context, and we now are concerned for our daughter who will be subject to these random searches.”
District Interim Superintendent Angela Chapman said during remarks at the beginning of the meeting that students are not being “stopped and frisked,” and said rumors on social media about this are “misinformation.”
“This narrative is false, at no time do school safety and security team physically pat down and search our students,” Chapman said.
Takasha Smith, executive director of the nonprofit Juvenile Justice Coalition, said the new security protocols will only breed mistrust among high school students, which she said flies in the face of the PBIS legislation on the agenda Wednesday evening.
“These are negative behaviors that enforce distrust between students and staff members,” Smith said. “And the most important aspect of safety is trust between students and staff. So I think that’s a terrible violation of the intended purpose of school safety.”
Student stabs another student at Mifflin High
A video of the stabbing incident shows a brief verbal altercation between two male students inside a common space at the high school at the end of school Friday. Then one student pulls a knife from his waist and appears to strike the other student, who runs away while the suspect chases him.
Columbus police said the incident occurred around 2:40 p.m. Friday. Officers responded and found the victim had multiple stab wounds. The suspect had chased the other student through the school, attempting to stab the victim again.
School personnel eventually broke up the attack.
The suspect was charged with one count of felonious assault and was taken to the Franklin County Juvenile Detention Center. The other student was treated by first responders and a school nurse and was returned to his guardians.
Chapman said one of the highest priorities in the district is ensuring the safety of everyone, and that mental health resources are available to students and faculty in the district if they need it.
“When tragedy or adversity impacts one school, we feel it across the district,” Chapman said. @Colebehr_report Cbehrens@dispatch.com