Security up at Fels after fight

Security has been stepped up at Fels High School following a fight Friday between a Hispanic student and two African-American students.

After the lunchroom incident, Hispanic students told school officials they felt they were being targeted and did not feel safe, school district spokesman Fernando Gallard said.

Six additional safety personnel have been sent to the school to keep order, district chief executive Paul Vallas said.

"We're trying to keep the situation from getting worse," Vallas said last night. "We're not waiting until there's a major confrontation. We're taking action now. There are a number of kids who have been intimidating kids and they will be processed for expulsion."

He declined to say how many students would be removed.

The school, on Devereaux Avenue at Oxford Avenue in Oxford Circle, has 1,546 students, according to the district's Web site. The majority, 69.3 percent, are African-American; 14.9 percent are Hispanic; 11.7 percent are Asian; and 3.8 percent are white. *