HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — With four recent police reports involving high school students possibly facing criminal charges, Attorney General Douglas Moylan said he finds it “imperative” to meet with education officials and local authorities to discuss how to deal with “increasing violence” in public schools.
“Danger to the safety of our school-aged minor and adult children under the government’s care is one of the most important functions of this government. Something is clearly going wrong. The use of students to amplify the emotion on social media is seemingly spreading the acceptance of such violent conduct and assisting in coordinating further violent outbreaks,” the AG said in a letter.
In the Dec. 15 letter, Moylan acknowledged a meeting he had Sept. 27 with the Guam Department of Education, the Guam Police Department and the lead attorney of the AG’s Family Unit to discuss the recent violence in schools.
He referenced fights that “went viral” on social media and noted that the OAG provided recommendations, but attempts at holding a follow-up meeting have not materialized.
“A follow-up meeting that was scheduled to the Sept. 27, 2023, meeting was canceled because the superintendent wished to be present. Since then, no date or meeting has been scheduled,” the OAG said in the letter.
Since then, violence once again broke out at a GDOE school campus.
“Recently, a riot occurred on government of Guam property, specifically property managed by GDOE at the JFK campus. Our office received four police reports requesting magistrating of adult students for the crimes they were alleged to have committed because they were 18 years old or above. I discussed the criminal charges with my magistrating attorney, Assistant AG Renaida San Nicolas, as well as the nature of the evidence,” Moylan said in the letter.
Moylan noted that double sessions handling two high school populations at one campus “may be increasing the likelihood of these types of violent outbreaks.”
“I believe we can all agree that the violence must stop and discipline and respect restored,” Moylan continued.
Although the AG’s office has magistrated and investigated both minors and adults involved in violent incidents at schools, Moylan said he believes Family Court is “not the only solution.”
“We are interested in finding effective ways to stop it. This process is long and costing the taxpayers moneys that could be saved by our meeting and coming to agreements. Schools must remain safe, disciplined learning institutions, and cannot deteriorate to correctional facilities allowing and accepting violence to occur,” Moylan said in the letter.
With this in mind, Moylan proposed a roundtable meeting be held and invited the governor and the Legislature to attend.
A date for the roundtable has not been set.
John F Kennedy High School is seen Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023, in Tamuning.