Parents demand answers after student is stabbed inside Medford High School
MEDFORD -- One person is in custody after a stabbing at Medford High School on Monday. Another student was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Police Captain Paul Covino said the incident started as a fight in the boys' bathroom. The injured student went to the school nurse with a cut to his chest.
The school remained on lockdown for a few hours as police investigated.
"All your children are safe. They will be released when it's safe to release everybody. So please be patient," Covino told a group of parents outside hoping to pick their teens up.
Covino also said a group of students will be brought to the police station for questioning.
The suspect will be charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.
A video of the stabbing has been shared among students and parents.
"The boy was locked into the bathroom by another person's foot. There were about eight kids in the bathroom and they just stabbed him," parent Joanne Beaubrun said. "Last week it happened with the girls as well. They are cornering kids in the bathrooms and threatening them, trying to jump them, stab them, whatever they do. This has been going on for a long time."
"I'd like to think everybody is putting their best foot forward but here's another example, I keep telling everybody that our school is in a crisis," another parent told reporters. "When you work in a school, safety has got to come first. We have amazing teachers, great curriculum, but if these kids aren't safe, then what are we doing?"
She said her daughter is a sophomore and received a concussion in October when she was beaten up by two students at the school.
"There has to be consequences for actions," the parent said. "We need to do better because this is for the children."
According to parents, this was the second stay-in-place order on Monday. The first was to deal with a medical emergency.
"I know I don't feel safe. I know my friends don't feel safe. And it's something new every single day," one student shared with WBZ-TV.
Medford Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn released a statement that said, in part: "While this is an isolated incident and is no way representative of the values and ideals the school administration strives for, it's a horrific day for our school community and I'm appalled that this happened. My thoughts are with the families, students and our Mustang community."
Tempers flared at an emergency meeting at Medford City Hall Monday night. Parents and students voiced concerns that the high school is not safe.
"Our kids are afraid. My daughter doesn't want to go back to school," Medford City Councilor George Scarpelli said.
"It's scary. I shouldn't be in fear of going to the bathroom in school because kids like that hang out in there," a male student said.
Mayor Lungo-Koehn said students are safe to return to school Tuesday morning.
"We know they're safe, but we have a lot of work, systemic change that needs to happen, climate and culture in our school system," Lungo-Koehn said.
But the parents at the heated school committee meeting disagree, arguing that the school isn't taking bullying and fights seriously, putting students in danger.
"I've asked teachers, I've asked students. Have you seen a change? Nothing. Nothing!" Scarpelli said.
A 16-year-old student was emotional talking about how she was assaulted at Medford High in October.
"The video that's constantly recirculating of me just on the floor. Do something, do your job and if you can't do your job, step down and let someone else do it for you," the student said.
Parents are demanding that the school committee send a clear message by expelling the armed student to prevent another attack.
"Let the kids know that they're safe. Because you haven't done that. You haven't!" Scarpelli said.
There will be an increased police presence at the school for the rest of the week.