‘Several’ fights at Valley High prompt campus lockdown, officials say. 7 students arrested
Several altercations between students at Valley High School led law enforcement and school officials to place the campus on lockdown Wednesday and led to sheriff’s deputies arresting seven students, according to Elk Grove Unified School District and the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.
School officers and the Sheriff’s Office helped to secure the school by following emergency protocols at about 11:10 a.m., according to a letter sent to parents by Valley principal Bridgette Kemp-Bell and provided to The Sacramento Bee. The lockdown was lifted about 90 minutes later, said Sgt. Amar Gandhi, spokesman for the Sheriff’s Office.
“All students and staff are safe,” Kemp-Bell wrote in the letter.
Gandhi said school employees were assaulted as they tried to break up the fights. They were minor injuries, such as bruises, he said.
It was not immediately clear how many fights broke out. In addition to the seven students arrested, one pupil was cited and then released, Gandhi said.
It’s unclear who will be charged. But juveniles were arrested on suspicion of various charges such as inciting a riot, felony assault and resisting arrest, Gandhi said.
Students’ families were contacted and “appropriate action” will be taken, Kemp-Bell wrote. There will also be support for students and staff, such as counseling.
“The safety of our students and staff is a top priority at our school,” Kemp-Bell wrote.
