By: Nick Powers | C&G Newspapers | Published October 16, 2024
CLINTON TOWNSHIP — It can be difficult to find a solution for fights at school, but Clinton Township is attempting to curb these incidents and prevent regrettable moments that can follow students for the rest of their lives.
The Clinton Township Board of Trustees unanimously approved a change to the township’s ordinance covering fighting at school at its Oct. 7 meeting.
The new ordinance sets out a $100 fine plus any court ordered remedial requirements for minors who are caught fighting the first time. For the second offense, the fine climbs to $500.
The ordinance changes school fighting from a misdemeanor offense to a civil infraction. School administrators will use their discretion to determine if these incidents reach the level of a chargeable civil infraction. If administrators decide it reaches this level, the participants in the fight would need to appear in district court.
Following the meeting, Clinton Township Police Detective Sgt. Karl Simon explained that Center Line, Sterling Heights, Warren, Eastpointe and Fraser have similar ordinances in place.
From September 2023 to June 2024, the Clintondale and Chippewa Valley Schools districts reported approximately 67 fights among high school students and 81 fights among middle school students. The numbers provided are combined for the two districts.
Simon said that while the schools still have discretion over things like suspensions, the civil infraction is another option to deter fights.
Initial discussion
At the board’s Sept. 30 meeting, debate about the ordinance sparked a variety of opinions from trustees.
Trustee Mike Keys recalled when he got into a fight with a classmate and saw the event as a lesson in retrospect. Keys voiced concern about how it would have felt as a kid having to go in front of a judge following a fight.
“I know you’re saying you’re not giving them a criminal record, but you are subjecting a child to the justice system,” Keys said.
Clintondale Middle School Assistant Principal Maurice Woods explained how his school would deal with these incidents at the meeting.
“We’ve invested a lot of money in restorative practices,” Woods said. “It isn’t necessarily just two kids, and they get to pushing each other and boom, here’s a $100 fine. We will look at the situation as a whole and then make a determination.”
Clintondale school resource officer Timothy Victor clarified that the civil infraction would make it so the incident will stay off a student’s record. Previously, Victor said, an attorney would need to be hired, and the process would go through the court as an assault and battery misdemeanor.
“This will alleviate the youth from being mixed up in the system,” Victor said.
Clinton Township Treasurer Paul Gieleghem, with agreement from Victor, explained what the change amounted to for a student.
“By changing this ordinance to a civil infraction, it becomes a monetary fine and like a speeding ticket for a first offense,” Gieleghem said.
Victor said suspensions aren’t a good deterrent.
“They think it’s a vacation. They come back and they start fighting again,” Victor said.
Trustee Julie Matuzak said she thought the ordinance change was an improvement, but that she wondered if the ordinance was enforceable in all the school districts Clinton Township touches.
“They need to meet the standard of this ordinance if we’re passing it in Clinton Township,” Matuzak said.
Clinton Township Police Chief Dina Caringi said this issue was brought forward by Chippewa Valley school resource officer John Cooke to address an influx of fights at the school. Caringi said that the civil infraction is applied when all other options have been exhausted for mediation following a fight. It sidesteps an assault charge and addresses things at a lower level.
Caringi said the new ordinance addresses the difficulty suspensions pose for families, particularly in single-parent households.
“If we can avoid that and get someone headed in a better direction, I think that’s at the heart of what this is, what the ordinance is for,” she said.
One member of the public, who did not provide her name, asked about the root cause of fights in schools.
“I don’t think we can answer that tonight,” Clinton Township Supervisor Bob Cannon said. “I think we can answer that we’re going to eliminate the problem by downgrading the penalties so they can be enforced.”
Resident Donna Michael said she was a bad kid in her youth and said peer pressure has a lot to do with the problems kids face.
“When you’re brought to the office, that first visit gives you a chance for change,” Michael said.
The ordinance was unanimously approved for further review and adoption.
Adoption
Trustee Julie Matuzak’s concern from the previous meeting about which districts would be involved in the ordinance was addressed at the outset of the Oct. 7 meeting.
Caringi said Fraser Schools, Clintondale Schools and Chippewa Valley Schools had committed to following the ordinance. L’Anse Creuse was not able to commit currently because they have a new superintendent. Mount Clemens did not commit to the ordinance, but Caringi clarified that the ordinance only applies to school property.
Resident Fred Nienstedt reiterated comments from the Sept. 30 meeting, asking how much authority parents are ceding to the schools in these disputes.
“There needs to be a strong oversight to make sure that the schools do not use this in such a way that it benefits them and enforces their authority in the lives of the children and how their learning and what they are doing,” Nienstedt said.
Cannon, speaking from his time as a teacher, said he thought the new ordinance addresses this, though he said there will never be a “perfect” answer. He said this will bring the issue back to the home.
“This will take some of the sting away from the harsh discipline that had to be administered in the past when there was fighting,” Cannon said. “I think this will administer discipline in a way that a student can come back to the classroom quickly and responsibly.”
Clinton Township Clerk Kim Meltzer agreed.
“I think this actually encourages more parental responsibility,” she said.
Trustee Dan Kress wanted to know if the parents were always notified in this process.
Victor, in terms of what Clintondale does, said the parents are always contacted following a fight. He said a parent or administrator is always present with him when addressing a fight.
Keys questioned when a civil infraction would be incurred following a fight at a school and asked if it would be automatically triggered.
Cooke agreed with Victor that each situation will be assessed to see if the civil infraction is warranted.
“Just another tool in our tool belt where we still have discretion,” Cooke said.
“Every child is different, every situation is different,” Caringi said.
Victor said that the civil infraction will be on a child’s complete criminal history but will not be on their criminal record that would be used when assessing penalties if there are future offenses. They will be fingerprinted if the fight reaches the civil infraction status.
Clintondale Board of Education President Jared Maynard said it “haunts” him to have to make the determination to suspend a student for 180 days. He said this new ordinance is an improvement over the previous system.
“I think there are enough precautions inside of this to make sure the parents are involved in every step of the way because I am certainly tired of only seeing the parents when their kid is sitting in front of me to be expelled,” Maynard said.
Dontae’ Walker, a member of the Mount Clemens Community Schools Board of Education, agreed with Maynard and supported the ordinance change.
“When I’m sitting in board meetings and we have to expel a student, that’s the hardest thing we have to do as a board member,” Walker said.