12:37 PM: Thanks for the tips about students sheltering in place at Chief Sealth International High School and adjacent Denny International Middle School; we saw one police car at the school and contacted the SPD media office. They told us, “We had reports of approximately a dozen students fighting at the football field. School went into modified lockdown. Officers responded to the area and could not locate any disturbance or anyone on the football field. Lockdown was lifted.” We also have a request out to the district for information. (4:13 pm note: Still no additional details, except the district has told us, twice, that no one was injured.)
1:12 PM: We do NOT know if it’s related but this came up in comment discussion below and is now confirmed – the scheduled Chief Sealth/West Seattle HS football game tonight, aka the Huling Bowl, has been canceled. WSHS principal Brian Vance sent this text message to families a short time ago (thanks to those who forwarded it to us):
I wanted to inform families that TONIGHT’S FOOTBALL GAME WITH CHIEF SEALTH HAS BEEN CANCELED. I do not, at this time, have all of the information regarding the cancellation and will share more as I get that information. I do know that it is not the result of anything on the WSHS side of things.
1:21 PM: CSIHS athletic director Ernest Policarpio also confirms the game is canceled but has no comment on why. He says they’re going to try to reschedule. (The game was scheduled to be played ta Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex, which is across the street from Sealth but is both schools’ home field; WSHS was to be the home team.)
5:11 PM: Denny principal Jeff Clark has sent us the letter he and Sealth principal Ray Morales have sent to families:
Dear Chief Sealth and Denny Student and Families:
We are writing to let you know about an incident that occurred at Chief Sealth today. This morning, there was a physical altercation between a group of students. Staff responded immediately, separating the students involved. Out of an abundance of caution, the campus went into a Shelter-in-Place. The Seattle Police Department was called to help make sure there were no related incidents at the athletic complex.
A Shelter-in-Place is the process of keeping students and staff safe from incidents outside the building. Exterior doors are locked, and students remain in classrooms and go about normal activities.
Please be assured that the safety of every child is our number one priority. The Chief Sealth staff will continue to engage with our students proactively with an emphasis on restorative justice to repair any needed relationship harm.
We are proud of the way students at both Chief Sealth and Denny responded to the Shelter-in-Place. Throughout the process, students respectfully followed health and safety protocols.
This evening’s Chief Sealth Football game has been postponed and will be rescheduled for a future date.
Thank you for your ongoing support and partnership!
Sincerely,
Principal Ray Morales
Chief Sealth International High SchoolPrincipal Jeff Clark
Denny International Middle School
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