Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD is reaching out to the community in the wake of a disturbingly violent incident between two students last week at Harwood Junior High School, in Bedford.  In a statement released Wednesday, the District announced it is seeking people in the community to serve on a “Student Safety Task Force.”

The proposed group of 60 to 70 members, according to the statement, is expected to be comprised of parents of current HEB ISD students, PTA members, teachers, students, administrators, other District employees and representatives of law enforcement.

Meeting Tuesday evenings, April 22, May 6 and May 13, the task force “will examine current processes and laws surrounding prevention and response to inappropriate student behavior,” the statement detailed.  The findings and recommendations of the group, it said, will be submitted to the District’s Board of Trustees.

To serve on the task force, the District has posted an online questionnaire for applicants to complete with a deadline of next Friday, April 11.

According to a statement from the Bedford Police Department, the incident occurred just after 8:00 am last Tuesday, March 25, when a Bedford police officer, serving as a school resource officer at Harwood Junior High School, “responded to the scene of a fight in progress between two students.”  The officer “immediately took control” of one of the students from a school staff member who was attempting to separate them, the statement said, and a school nurse, who had also arrived on the scene, “began treating the other student for injuries.”

The police statement concluded by saying they “investigated this incident,” detained the student who was seen doing the punching and transported him to the Tarrant County Juvenile Justice Center for processing.