SCHOOL SLASHING STUNS WOBURN
Sixth-grader accused of knife attack on classmate, 12
Parents and students at a Woburn middle school were stunned by an outburst of preteen violence after a sixth-grader was accused of slashing a classmate with a steak knife in the school auditorium early yesterday.
“I’m really scared,” said Lucas Almeida, a sixth-grader at the John F. Kennedy Middle School in Woburn, one of several students who spoke outside the school with their parents present.
“It was really crazy, I was never expecting this to happen to this school,” Almeida said.
Just before 8 a.m. yesterday, an 11-year-old sixthgrade boy attacked a 12year-old classmate in the school auditorium with a steak knife as a fight escalated, according to city officials and students.
“I had just gotten in the school and I saw two boys fighting on the side,” said eighth-grader Julia Baker. “I got really nervous, I didn’t know what happened, stuff like this usually doesn’t happen. I was really scared.”
The 12-year-old was transported to a local hospital, according to authorities, with “superficial injuries that are not considered lifethreatening,” authorities said. The school was placed in a brief lockdown as staff and school police responded.
“The alleged assailant, an 11-year-old male student, was quickly identified and placed in custody and a small knife was seized,” Woburn Mayor Scott Galvin, police Chief Robert Rufo and Superintendent of Schools Matthew Crowley said in a joint statement. “The safety, security and well-being of the students and all members of the school community is our first priority. We have determined that there is no further danger to the school.”
According to Rufo, there was a history between the alleged assailant and the victim, and said police are not investigating the incident as an act of bullying. Rufo was unaware of any issues with bullying at the school.
“This was just an isolated incident that turned into a violent assault,” Rufo said. “We know there is a history between the assailant and the victim.”
Authorities did not say what led to the stabbing, but several students said it may have been related to a dispute involving a girl.
Throughout the morning, parents arrived at the school to bring their children home. Parents said the school does not have problems with violence or bullying.
“You never think it’s going to happen in your town, but thank God everyone’s safe,” said Kelly Doughty. “It’s pretty scary, it’s scary.”
Michelle Keith said she was on her way to work when she started getting calls from relatives who had seen the news. She turned around to go pick up her son.
“I was in shock,” Keith said. “You always see it on the news, it’s always other places, it’s never your city or your school.”
Students said the incident happened in the auditorium, where sixth-graders wait for classes to begin.
Dean Baker picked his daughter up from school to make sure she was okay.
“You don’t expect something like this to happen,” Dean Baker said.
State law does not allow minors under 12 to be criminally charged, but the youth is expected to face discipline.