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13 Investigates: Nearly 25% of all fighting incidents in District 60 come from Roncalli Stem Academy

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) -- In October 2021, a special needs middle school student at Roncalli Stem Academy was jumped during her lunch period. Her father, Jared Mayo, shared the shocking video of his daughter being struck in the back of the head and then beaten by multiple other girls.

"You can see her in an altercation where she attempts to walk away from it and she is hit in the back of the head viciously and then viciously attacked by seven more girls," Mayo told KRDO in October.

"There's always been issues there, but in the last year, it is just out of control," Roncalli parent, David Sanchez said.

On the day of the attack on Mayo's daughter, a page on Instagram called "Roncalli Fights" was taken down and removed. The page contained over a dozen videos of fights on Roncalli Stem Academy's campus during the 2021 school year.

Fight Videos

In the days after our initial report, a number of Roncalli parents reached out expressing a similar sentiment. Their children have been harmed in fights on the school's campus. David Sanchez removed his daughter from the middle school over fears for her safety.

“My child doesn’t feel safe at school. She wants to go to school to learn, and I feel all these kids should be given that opportunity to go to school to learn, not go to school and have to watch over their back," Sanchez said.

David Sanchez

Sanchez told KRDO his daughter didn't want to leave Roncalli, but the constant bullying and harassment at the hands of her peers became too much to bear.

“I really don’t know what I am going to do as a parent because it's an issue that we have to face with the school first and try to overcome," Sanchez said. "That's the school my daughter has wanted to go to. All my kids wanted to go to that school. Why should my kids feel like they have to leave that school?"

In numbers provided by District 60, there were 79 incidents of fighting at Roncalli in 2021.

When you factor in all 30 schools in District 60, the 79 incidents account for 22% of all fighting incidents district-wide.

The three middle schools with the next highest numbers of fighting incidents were Heaton with 36, Pueblo Academy of the Arts with 26, and Risley with 18.

Numbers via District 60

Additionally, there were 81 suspensions for fighting at Roncalli in 2021. The number is a three-year high for the school after recording 50 in 2020 and 78 in 2019.

Numbers via District 60

"You see increased incidents of fighting at the middle school and the high school level," said Andrew Burns, D60's Executive Director of Student Services. "I think in particular, those middle school levels we're seeing students using outdated resources and don't have the emotional maturity that they've had a couple of years ago to handle conflict and address those situations. We are needing to retrain and reeducate our students on the processes as well." 

13 Investigates went over the fighting numbers with District 60 leadership in a search for answers. How will they address parents' concerns? How will they protect students at Roncalli?

D60 says since October they have added an additional security guard, implemented more patrols on school grounds, and began targeted programs like bully prevention programs.

"All of our schools are going through a bully prevention program right now, and we are also looking at restorative practices as training for our staff to make sure that we are moving forward," Burns said. "So it's education, it's empowerment, it's training, and it's also engaging with our community both parents and our local resources."

Andrew Burns

Since September 2021, fighting incidents have decreased at Roncalli every month since their winter break in December. There were 30 in September, 24 in October, 16 in November, and less than 10 in December.

"Students are starting to take advantage of those skills we are providing and they are relearning those systems and routines to move forward," Burns said.

Pueblo police tell KRDO the amount of citations they have issued at Pueblo schools has diminished in recent years because of the establishment of the racial and ethnic disparities program or RED program.

Numbers via District 60

The program aims to end the "school to prison pipeline" in areas where racial and ethnic disparities are high. In 2016, state officials found Pueblo County had an overrepresentation of 4.0, or four times as many Hispanic youths detained compared to Caucasians.

The state program was adopted in Pueblo County in February 2020. School resource officers in Pueblo District 60 schools are prevented from issuing citations to middle school students until there are two documented incidents of fighting.

"Many school districts across the country have seen a spike in discipline over the years and so it's encouraged all districts to reframe the conversation and reexamine how to handle those conversations from a multi-faceted approached taking multiple layers to address those concerns for individuals," Burns said.

District 60 leadership told KRDO they stand by the Roncalli leadership amid ongoing parental concerns.

"The Roncalli leadership team has been wonderful in providing support for our students. The principal there has led class-level discussions with their team to discuss expectations for individuals," Burns said.

However, both Mayo and Sanchez have since removed their daughters from the middle school and enrolled them in another district.

"I think it needs to be shut down. We can go in and fight with leadership and try to have them manage it, but is it too far gone?" Sanchez questioned.

"That's my daughter, that's my child, I trusted you with her. I shouldn't have to see my child like that because someone just can't do their job," Mayo said.

In January, a Roncalli student was apprehended for bringing a loaded gun to school -- Pueblo Police said early indications were that the student did so for protection at the school.

KRDO requested an interview with Roncalli Stem Academy officials to address the fighting numbers and videos surfacing on social media. District 60 declined that request.

A hearing for the juvenile that brought a gun to school is scheduled for March 16th, according to Pueblo Police.

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Sean Rice

Sean is reporter with the 13 Investigates team. Learn more about him here.

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