Large Ames Middle School fight draws heavy police presence, school 'hold' initiated

Ames Police were dispatched to Ames Middle School shortly after 8:45 Monday morning to assist with a large fight.

Juveniles were allegedly fighting each other and adults in the school's cafeteria, according to a press release from the Ames Police Department.

The police restrained one student who was "acting violently" after officers arrived and separated the individuals involved, the press release said.

A school-wide "hold" was implemented after the fight so "the matter could be addressed appropriately," Ames Middle School Principal Boston Freilinger said in an email to parents.

According to the Ames Community School District's website, a "hold" is issued "when a non-imminent threat is occurring within the building. (It) may be issued when there is a need to isolate movement in a specific portion of the building,"

Students are expected to clear hallways and remain "in a room or area until the 'all clear' is given."

Monday's hold was lifted at 9:25 a.m. and Ames Police left the scene around 9:57 a.m. Ames Police Public Resource Officer Sgt. Amber Christian said officers did not know how many individuals were involved in the fight and were unaware of anyone needing medical attention.

Update (Feb. 27): A 15-year-old was issued juvenile referrals for disorderly conduct and interference with official acts, according to an Ames Police Department incident report. Additional charges are pending, the department said.

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Email asks parents to encourage kids to 'resolve conflicts peacefully'

Freilinger assured parents that all necessary measures were taken to ensure the safety of the students and staff.

"I want every school community member to understand the gravity of this situation," Freilinger said. "Engaging in fights not only endangers the physical well-being of those involved but also undermines the respectful and conducive learning environment we strive to maintain. It tarnishes our school's reputation and disrespects the hard work of those dedicated to providing a positive educational experience."

Freilinger said the middle school took the necessary steps to ensure school could continue as usual on Monday and asked parents to "open a dialogue" with their students about violence.

"We encourage you to have an open dialogue with your students about the importance of resolving conflicts peacefully and seeking help from a trusted adult when needed," the email said. "Please reassure them that their safety is our top priority."

More: Ames schools, police remain focused on safety despite lack of school resource officers

Fights plague high school

The Ames school board voted unanimously to end its school resource officer program two years ago. A joint recommendation from then-interim Superintendent Paula Vincent and Ames City Manager Steve Schainker sparked the decision.

The Ames Tribune reported in December that the Ames Police Department had responded to more than 700 calls at Ames schools since the board chose to remove resource officers in December 2021. Of those calls, 392 were to the high school and 317 to the middle school.

A string of alleged October fights at the Ames High School plagued the start of the school 2023-24 academic year. High school principal Dr. Paul Numedahl sent out a similarly-worded email to parents on Oct. 18 after police were called to "investigate a fight that involved juveniles" the day before.

The Ames Police Department filed an incident report for a fight at the high school on Oct. 17, and videos of the alleged scuffle circulated on social media.

Numedahl told parents that several fights in the days prior "seriously disrupted our learning environment and threatened the safety of our students and staff. This kind of behavior is intolerable. I cannot express strongly enough how deeply disturbed I am by these actions."

Numedahl's email continued to discourage student violence before sharing the same message that was sent to middle school parents Monday morning:

"I want every school community member to understand this situation's gravity," the October 18 email read. "Engaging in fights not only endangers the physical well-being of those involved but also undermines the respectful and conducive learning environment we strive to maintain. It tarnishes our school's reputation and disrespects the hard work of those dedicated to providing a positive educational experience."

Ames Community School District superintendent Dr. Julious Lawson stressed his desire to curb student violence at a school board meeting a few days later on Oct. 23.

Lawson said recent high school fights weren't exclusive to any race, program group, gender, age or grade level after he took a "deep dive" into the data to find a cause for the fights.

"We are still actively working with school leaders to mitigate fights and all other acts of violence within our district," Lawson said at the Oct. 23 Ames CSD school board meeting. "Fear has no place in our schools. The emotional and physical safety of our students and staff are paramount."

Two closed special sessions were held within a week of the Oct. 23 board meeting to discipline several Ames High School students.

Two students were expelled from the high school and consent expulsion agreements were approved for three students. The board would not confirm if the agreements meant the students were expelled from school or not, nor would they confirm whether the expulsions were related to school violence.

Middle school substitute concerned with staff shortages

Former Ames Middle School teacher and current substitute Missy Springsteen-Haupt asked the Ames school board for additional staffing at a Nov. 20 school board meeting, suggesting the faculty was overwhelmed. The teacher did not reference any specific incident but was worried about how the teacher shortage could worsen if the district didn't address it soon.

She asked the board to consider adding an associate principal at the middle school.

"It’s very clear if you spend even five minutes in the middle school that people are drowning," Springsteen-Haupt said at the November board meeting. "I think an immediate action that could be taken is if this board could look at things like referrals and incident reports, teachers and EAs who have been injured or harmed while working at the middle school. We need another AP (assistant principal) back."

Celia Brocker is a government, crime, political and education reporter for the Ames Tribune. She can be reached at CBrocker@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Large cafeteria fight breaks out at Ames Middle School, police called