DES MOINES, Iowa — A Des Moines Public School father is taking matters into his own hands and creating a group to help curb a rise in fights within the school district.
Lance Williams, a father of 12 with sons in high school, said seeing videos and hearing about fights of students at Des Moines Public Schools has him concerned for his kids.
"Fear for one," Williams said. "What goes through me is, 'Man, what if that was my child?"
So what Williams did was create a group to stop the rise in violence called 'Dads On a Mission.'
The group is for dads of students at DMPS to have a presence on campus.
Williams recently held a meeting to recruit men for the group. The plan they decided on was to be positioned at East High School in three shifts.
Morning, lunch and after school.
"We want to let them know hey we're watching you," Williams said. "We're rooting for you and we're going to hold you accountable if you don't stand up to the bar."
Williams is hoping to get as many as 300 men to volunteer with the group so it can eventually expand and have a presence in seven or eight schools across the district.
To be involved, people who are interested must sign a registration form. Williams also noted those involved will have to have a clean background to make sure it's safe for them to be on a school campus.
And DMPS is currently backing the idea.
Matthew Smith, the associate superintendent said this is a partnership they hope is successful and leads to results they want.
"The best movements in terms of creating positive change in communities and in schools come from our community, comes from our families and our parents," Smith said. "So to be able to partner with and work alongside Dads On a Mission is absolutely something Des Moines Public Schools is all about."
Williams said another goal for the men is to be a figure to those who might not have a dad at home and make a change they want to see.
"We're dads on a mission, we're men on a mission and we're all keeping our word," Williams said.
If someone is interested in joining, they can reach out to Williams on Facebook.
Watch | 5 West Des Moines students charged after threats of school violence, police say