Police respond to fight at Hamden High School

HAMDEN — Police responded to Hamden High School late Thursday morning after a fight involving two students broke out in the auditorium, according to police Lt. William Onofrio.

A preliminary investigation indicated the altercation began while students were leaving the auditorium, he said. A crowd surrounded the students and egged them on, he said, and an elderly staff member fell during the incident.

The staff member was taken to the hospital as a precaution, according to Onofrio, who said neither student reported injuries and no weapons were involved.

“I’m in the middle of dealing with it now,” Onofrio said around midday. “Our outreach workers arrived on scene . ... We stepped up our presence there for the rest of the day. We only got two hours there until dismissal.”

Onofrio described the individuals involved in the fight as “cooperative.” The altercation may have started because someone was shoved as the crowd left the auditorium, he said.

“It’s upsetting,” Superintendent of Schools Jody Goeler said Thursday afternoon. “It’s upsetting to see that students need to resort to fighting to settle their differences, and as a society I think we need to wrap our minds around that and figure it out.”

Administrators will work to determine what exactly happened during the fight, Goeler said.

“It’s going to take time for the administrators to sort it out and levy consequences and work with the kids to settle them down,” he said. “You work with your mental health staff as well, to talk to the kids, help them understand their behavior and the impact it has on the school community.”

The administration also will evaluate the staff’s response to the altercation “to determine how to proceed the next time,” he said.