Mar 3, 2008 7:19 pm US/Eastern
Court Dates Set For Edison High Students
Students Were Sent Home After April Court Dates Set
Students Protested Monday Urging Charges Be Dismissed
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
Court dates were set Monday for students charged in last Friday's brawl at Miami Edison high school, while other students at the school held a peaceful protest demanding charges be dropped and a teacher blamed for touching off Friday's melee be fired.
More than one hundred Miami Edison Senior High students attended a rally Monday to protest what they call an "unsafe" environment at their school.
The students, who gathered at Athalie Range Park on 62nd Street at Northwest 5th Avenue, called for all charges to be dropped against their fellow students arrested last Friday when a peaceful protest in the lunchroom turned violent.
They also demanded the termination of Assistant Vice Principal Javier Perez who they say should be arrested. Perez was temporarily re-assigned to another location on Monday.
"We need justice, because these things messed up the kids future," said student Damaris Alvarez. She said one friend who was arrested was near graduation, and wanted to enter the Coast Guard.
Principal Jene Teal said it was time for the school to move forward.
"I say look at the progress that we've made," Teal said, "I say focus on the good things that have happened at Miami Edison Senior High School. The fact that we're 8 points from a C, and striving for a B."
The students staged their protest rally until 10:30 a.m., then they headed back to class without penalty for missing their morning classes.
A few miles away, the students arrested in the fight appeared before a Juvenile Court judge who set release conditions and court dates.
"I'm ordering you to go to school. Every day," one student was told.
18 students were released into the custody of parents. One student was ordered held on house arrest.
Sunday, parents and students met behind closed doors with school officials and a neighborhood pastor, who said students were given a chance to vent and air their feelings about Friday's disturbance.
Students called upon State Attorney Kathy Fernandez Rundle to drop the felony charges against the more than two dozen students facing Monday court appearances.
Friday, officers from three departments including the city of Miami and Miami-Dade police were called to the school, which is located at 6161 NW 5th Court in Miami, after a school police officer hit an emergency button and called for backup, saying students were 'rioting' at the school. The melee started shortly after 11 a.m. at lunch when students tried to stage a protest against Perez who had gotten into a confrontation with 17-year-old Wadson Sagaille the day before, they say at one point Perez put Sagaille into a choke hold.
"We understand there was a disturbance between an administrator and a student, and later we understand the student attacked the administrator and also a school police officer," said Miami Dade Public Schools spokesman John Shuster."
The students claim they were attacked by police as they tried to stage a peaceful protest against Perez during a lunch period, but police say the students became unruly and attacked police officers, throwing chairs, bottles and books which prompted a massive response.
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