A 12-year-old boy is recovering after police say an 11-year-old girl stabbed him inside a Bronx school Monday.
Officers responded to a 911 call reporting an assault just after 11 a.m. at P.S./I.S. 218 on Gerard Avenue in the Concourse neighborhood, according to the NYPD. Police said the boy was found with a stab wound to his left arm and was taken to a hospital in stable condition.
Sources said the 11-year-old girl is in custody and that the two children had a prior dispute.
What You Need To Know
A 12-year-old boy was stabbed in the arm inside P.S./I.S. 218 in the Bronx and is in stable condition
An 11-year-old girl is in custody and sources say the two had a prior dispute
Some parents criticized the school’s communication and called for more security
Elected officials say counseling and mental health support will be provided as the investigation continues
“A stabbing? Come on. A 12-year-old, an 11-year-old involved. It’s crazy,” said Alejandra Bonilla, who has two children enrolled at the school.
Bonilla and other parents questioned how the school communicated about the incident.
“We have to find out from our kids? We have to find out from social media? We have to find out from the news and not the school?” she said.
About 800 students in kindergarten through eighth grade attend the school. The building does not have metal detectors but has a security guard, according to parents.
“There’s only one security for the entire building so, if we had more security patrolling the hallways or wherever this happened, this could’ve been avoided. This could’ve been stopped right away,” Bonilla said.
Local elected officials said they are taking the incident seriously but differed on whether additional security is the answer.
“I think, instead of us thinking how do we get more school safety, we should think how we get more counselors? This doesn’t sound like if there was more school safety, the kids would’ve been safer. This sounds like an incident that could’ve been rectified if this young person had mental health services,” said Bronx Councilwoman Althea Stevens.
“Maybe we can have more school safety agents, maybe we can employ more security measures. Those are options that I do believe should remain on the table. But what I don’t want is to scare the 218 community and make them think that their children’s school is unsafe because of this,” said Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Department of Education said, “This act of violence is unacceptable and deeply concerning… We will be working closely with the school community to ensure all necessary supports are provided.”
Sources said counseling and mental health support will be available to students and staff as the school addresses the incident.