13-year-old arrested in beating of Ethan A. Chase student

By Doug Spoon, Editor

A 13-year-old boy was arrested tonight on suspicion of assault after an attack Monday on a fellow student at Ethan A. Chase Middle School in Menifee.

Menifee Police Department Captain Dave Gutierrez said the decision to arrest the boy was made in consultation with the juvenile District Attorney after police received additional information on the extent of the victim’s injuries. Gutierrez described them as moderate injuries, adding they were facial injuries requiring the victim to be treated at a hospital.

Meanwhile, concerned parents of students at the school are seeking answers from school administrators regarding the incident and questioning how much supervision was present at the time.

Earlier today, Romoland School District officials called the incident an “altercation” between two students during a morning nutrition break at the school. According to friends who have spoken to the parents of the student – who is said to be autistic -- their son was eating when he was attacked by another student who beat him severely.

School and district officials said this afternoon they can’t comment on specifics of the incident or the injured student’s medical condition. Several parents contacted Menifee 24/7 to say the boy suffered a mild concussion and a possible fractured eye socket, but that has not been confirmed.

A call to superintendent Trevor Painton was referred to Madison Arreola, public information officer for the district. In an emailed response this afternoon, Arreola wrote that the district “cannot publicly release information” about the injured student’s health or any disciplinary action taken against the other student.

Several parents reported on social media that there were no campus supervisors or other adult supervision on the scene at the time of the incident. Arreola said those allegations are not true – a statement backed up by the school principal.

A call to the office of Ethan A. Chase principal Chris Hernandez also was referred to Arreola, but Menifee 24/7 obtained a copy of an email Hernandez sent in response to questions from another concerned parent today. In that email, he wrote that “supervisors and administration were on duty” when the incident occurred, “but the incident occurred in less than nine seconds, so by the time they got there, another student had already intervened.”

In the email, Hernandez also denied a rumor that the other student was only suspended one day, writing, “It is more severe than a one-day suspension.”

Asked about district protocol for campus supervision, Arreola said, “The school has a campus supervisor on-site during all breaks” and that there is more than one designated supervisor on campus each day. She added, “There is a standard staffing ratio of campus supervisors per number of students on campus. We maintain that standard. As student enrollment at the school has increased, campus supervisor hours have increased.”

Parents have complained on social media about frequent fights on the campus and at the park adjacent to campus after school on many days. Gutierrez said the police department conducts patrols of school areas when possible, but that he wasn’t aware of complaints about fights in Discovery Park, next to the school.

“We respond if we are aware of problems,” Gutierrez said. “The City also has two park rangers who check on conditions at the parks. The schools still have some responsibility outside their borders as well. We are working with them on resolutions.”

Gutierrez said that Menifee PD has had discussions with Menifee Union School District and Perris Union High School District about the possibility of assigning a school resource officer at certain campuses. He said Romoland School District has not as yet been part of those discussions.

“Everybody understands the benefits, but it comes down to cost,” Gutierrez said.

A parent of one student said she requested that her son be allowed to meet with a school counselor about the incident but hadn’t yet been contacted.

“There was no counseling offered as a whole for the students who were traumatized by this event, as well as past events,” the parent told Menifee 24/7. “Parents have no confidence in the administration.”

According to Gutierrez, the suspect was transported to Juvenile Hall. It is unclear whether he is still in custody or has been released in the custody of his parents. The DA would be required to file a petition within 48 hours and a detention hearing would be held to determine the next steps, Gutierrez said.