Culminating a week of violence and arrests, Righetti High School students were released from classes early on Friday as Santa Maria Joint Union High School District officials felt rumors—the subject of which have not been disclosed—were causing too much of a distraction.
"Throughout the day, Righetti High School has received numerous calls concerning unsubstantiated rumors that have affected the learning environment at the campus," said district spokesperson Kenny Klein.
Students were released just before 12:30 Friday afternoon.
On Wednesday, Righetti and neighboring St. Joeseph High School were placed on lockdown when a fight involving several students broke out on the Righetti campus. Six students were arrested following that incident, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department. Three additional students were arrested on Thursday.
