South Bend school districts warn students to avoid fights

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — There have been three fights at South Bend Community Schools since they reopened last week.

Abc57 News pressed the district to tell us what is being done to address fights across the district, with three different videos surfacing since the start of the school year.

Recently, fights have broken out at South Bend high schools, specifically Washington and Riley schools. In these videos sent to Abc57 News, two fights can be seen where punches were thrown and one student was handcuffed.

“If you’re going to act outside of that, you’re going to have to deal with the consequences. And while we want to make sure our students are getting the social and emotional help they need, if you misbehave, there are going to be consequences,” said Todd Cummings, superintendent of South Bend Community Schools.

The district, with the help of its student resource officers (SROs), said they are trying to get ahead of the problem before it starts. They are using their Title IX coordinator to de-escalate conflicts before they become physical.

Strategies included: small group interventions, addressing social and emotional needs, and a student response plan that applies both inside and outside the classroom.

“If you feel unsafe or have any concerns, there is a button on our website to report it. We have updated our protocols and added security guards,” said Todd Cummings.

“We’ve added weapons detection systems and new cameras. We want to make sure all of our students are safe, but we also want to make sure they have a sense of belonging,” Cummings said.

The district told us it believes student fighting is a problem for many school districts, not just South Bend.

We are working to find out if South Bend Police are investigating these incidents caught on video.