The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers has called for a full investigation following an incident at Castor Gardens Middle School where two staff members were injured in a stabbing involving an 11-year-old student. The union has labeled the situation an "epic administrative failure," citing security lapses that allowed the student to bring a knife into the facility. The stabbing occurred on Tuesday, around noon, and resulted in minor injuries to a 63-year-old woman and a 31-year-old woman, as reported by 6abc.
Union representatives highlighted the bravery of paraprofessional Rasheima Hainey, who alerted fellow staff members to the threat, "I want to commend Rasheima Hainey, a paraprofessional who’s one of our members, who ran down the hallway while the assailant was on the loose looking for more people to stab, alerting staff members in their rooms not to open the door," PFT President Arthur Steinberg said in a statement obtained by NBC Philadelphia. Despite the security measures in place, such as metal detectors, the student was able to pass through with the knife, leading to, what the union describes as chronic disinvestment and a lack of resources that impact school safety.
Steinberg has spoken with Superintendent Dr. Tony Watlington Sr. expressing the union's demands for an overhaul of security protocols. "The failure was at the school level and until the superintendent has a chance to respond and react to it, I’m not going to share that now. However, rest well assured, if they do not take what we believe is appropriate action, I will let you know," Steinberg told NBC Philadelphia. The union is pushing for improvements to personnel performance, proactive administration, and better equipment to prevent future incidents.
Following the incident, the Philadelphia School District issued a statement addressing the investigation and the use of metal detectors at the school, "The student did pass through a minimally-invasive free-standing metal detector when he entered the building. School Safety Officers are conducting an inspection of the detector. All district middle and high schools have metal detectors," Monique Braxton, a district spokesperson said in a statement obtained by NBC Philadelphia. Meanwhile, the Office of School Safety is currently examining how the knife was not detected and reviewing safety procedures within the district.
The community expressed concern following the stabbing, with students reportedly feeling unsafe and questioning whether the attacker would return. "They didn't get alerts, they also were concerned about: Was the child going to be back in the building? Would they be safe? So teachers did all they could to reassure them and let them know that they were safe with them and that everything would be OK," LeShawna Coleman, chief of staff at the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, told CBS News Philadelphia. As part of its response, the union hopes that the student involved in the incident receives the professional support needed, which they believe could also have prevented the event.
