School to get new safety measures
Changes come after principal was attacked
New safety protocols, including a visible police presence, will be enforced at the Henderson Inclusion School following a brutal attack on the school’s principal that has prompted demands for change.
In a letter to Henderson School families, Boston Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius said students will have a staggered return to the Dorchester campus on Monday and Tuesday after the building was closed on Thursday and Friday.
New safety measures for arrival and dismissal at the school will include more BPS safety staff on hand with additional coverage at the Ashmont T Station, and members of the Boston Police Department will be visible and available for assistance, Cassellius announced.
The school will also add more counseling services, crisis and prevention training and opportunities for family engagement.
The actions come after Dr. William W. Henderson Inclusion School Principal Patricia Lampron was attacked by a 16-year-old student on Wednesday and was knocked unconscious for several minutes, as previously reported in the Herald. Another staff member who has not been identified was also injured in the attack.
Cassellius wrote in the letter, “I spoke with Ms. Lampron last night, and she is taking the time she needs to heal and recuperate, and she is grateful to the whole community for pulling together for our students.”
Local officials have come down hard on BPS and Cassellius following the attack.
Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn called the incident “deeply disturbing” and said, “I’m disappointed in the lack of leadership from the Office of the BPS Superintendent for failing to provide a safe environment for Principal Lampron and all BPS school personnel.”
State Sen. Nick Collins said in a statement said the Henderson School attack was a culmination of safety crises that extend throughout BPS.
“These incidents highlight the reason why the ability for school police officers to be present in schools remains preserved under the law. The Superintendent must immediately increase health and safety resources at the Henderson School and across the district,” Collins said.
He called for BPS to have a memorandum of understanding with the Boston Police Department to license trained school officers.
But having police officers in school has been a hot button issue that many Boston officials, such as Mayorelect Michelle Wu and Acting
Mayor Kim Janey, reject.
Janey said on Friday, “Police in schools do not make them safer. There’s lots of research that backs that up. What we do need to do is make sure that we have trauma-informed practices.”
A state MOU released by Attorney General Maura Healey in 2018 ensures that school resource officers don’t use police powers to address school discipline issues such as disruptive behavior.
Amy Sokolow and Sean Cotter contributed to this report.