Perris Union High School District officials are investigating a recent series of what they described as racially motivated fights and altercations at Heritage High that have resulted in the suspension of 15 students from the campus in Menifee.

Some of those students may face expulsion, Candace Reines, a district deputy superintendent, said Friday, Feb. 7. Reines said she was unaware of any arrests. A message has been left with the Riverside County Sheriffs Department seeking that information.

Reines said there was a verbal altercation the previous week outside of school involving Polynesian and Hispanic students. The hard feelings spilled over to one fight on Wednesday and four fights on Thursday. There were none on Friday, she said.

I think this was an isolated incident that bubbled up. It does seem racially motivated, Reines said.

Heritage principal Erika Tejeda acknowledged the incidents in a post on the schools Facebook page. She wrote that students who are allowed to return to campus will first be required to attend meetings along with their parents or guardians and sign a behavior contract.

Heritage High School does not tolerate fighting, bullying, or racially motivated incidents of any kind, Tejeda wrote. The safety of students and staff will remain my number one priority as the principal of Heritage High School. Along with my administration team, we are looking at various methods to improve the ways in which we address student issues before they escalate to fights.

At Perris Union, the district does not necessarily oppose arrests, Reines said.

We always want to solve the issue at the lowest level, counseling, or group counseling, but we dont have a policy where we wouldnt support a student being arrested, depending on the level of the allegations, Reines said.

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15 California high school students suspended amid probe into incidents that may have been racially motivated - The Mercury News