Hamilton officials apologize for late message to parents after student arrests at 2 schools Thursday

A fight involving multiple students broke out in a hallway at Hamilton Freshman School on Thursday.

MORE: Student arrested after threat at Hamilton Garfield Middle School

Teachers and an armed school resource officer helped break up the fight, which resulted in multiple arrests of students, all of whom face suspensions and possible expulsion.

Across town, a student allegedly wrote a threatening message on a wall in a boys bathroom in the city’s Garfield Middle School. Classmates reported the message and identified the student, and Hamilton Police arrested the student.

In both cases there were no reports of weapons involved or serious injuries beyond “bumps and bruises” from the freshman school fight, said Hamilton Schools officials.

On Friday, a recorded phone message was belatedly sent to the freshman school parents that included an apology for not distributing an announcement on Thursday about the school fight after it took place at approximately 1 p.m., according to copy of the recording obtained by the Journal-News.

Security in the schools of the 10,000-student city district has been an ongoing issue for months, including a highly public disagreement with Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones over the state of safety in schools.

Hamilton was among four other Butler County school districts that unsuccessfully sought voter approval in November of the county’s first, collective school security tax hike.

Hamilton officials sent out emails to school parents in both incidents and used them as opportunities to rally students and families to help keep the schools safe by being vigilant for threats.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to ask for your assistance in stressing to your child that if they see something, say something. This is not just a message; it is the responsibility that we all have as members of the Garfield School community,” Garfield Middle School Principal Brandon Stanfill wrote in a letter..

“Please remind your child of the importance of reporting dangerous behavior and we will continue to do the same at school.”