KANSAS CITY, KAN. ? A disturbing rise in violence at one high school here has school officials searching for a way to re-establish a safe environment.

Fights at Turner High have become more frequent and violent since the school year began one month ago.

“It’s incredibly out of the normal,” said Allan Voth, Turner High principal. “It doesn’t have to be that way. I think it’s terrible we have to spend so much time dealing with it.”

Thirteen fights have occurred since the beginning of the school year on Aug. 22, with three requiring serious medical attention for a participant.

Of those three, one has resulted in a student being transported to KU Med for head injuries last week.

The number of confrontations has caught Voth off-guard during his first year as principal. During four years in his previous stint as an assistant principal at Olathe North High School, Voth said the school had no more than 20 fights.

Olathe North has nearly 1,500 students; Turner has 930.

The rise in violence has prompted Turner High to consider several strategies to calm the school.

“The message has to get across. At some point we’re serious about violence,” Voth said.

The first step school administrators take is to send a letter to parents asking them to impress upon their children the need to avoid violence. The letter also warns that any student involved in a fight will be suspended for up to 10 days.

“I think we are all concerned. There isn’t much more we can do except try to be more vigilant,” Voth said.