This story by Aaron Calvin was first published in the News & Citizen on Nov. 16.
Following the stabbing of her son, a Peoples Academy parent has expressed concerns about the school administration’s response and her son’s ongoing safety.
In late September, Mindy Marshall received a call from the school that her son, a sophomore, had been stabbed through the hand by a senior with a 6-inch-long serrated knife. Marshall rushed her son to the emergency room, where he received 10 stitches, and she was handed a hefty medical bill.
Marshall, an Elmore resident, said her son had previously experienced violent incidents with his assailant when he put his arm around her son’s neck. In the stabbing incident, she said the assailant initially had the knife to her son’s neck, but the stabbing actually occurred in an ensuing scuffle, leaving Marshall to believe that it was “not completely intentional.”
Still, Marshall said she was surprised at the “nonchalance” with which she said the Peoples Academy administration reacted to the incident, which she thought was decidedly cool compared to the gravity of the injury her son received.
She alleged that Peoples principal Phil Grant told her to keep the incident under wraps as he didn’t want the media reporting on the incident. The next day, Marshall said the school administration reached out to her to discuss what her son would need to bring so his assailant could come back to school.
“I couldn’t believe that we were talking about bringing the kid back to school,” Marshall said.
Marshall said a call to the Morristown Police Department prompted an investigation, but chief Jason Luneau said that the department was told about the incident in late September, and the case was investigated and sent to Lamoille County State’s Attorney Todd Shove for review.
Luneau said the state’s attorney declined to pursue criminal charges.
Lamoille South Supervisory Union superintendent Ryan Heraty said that the schools in his district, including Peoples Academy, take “any incident involving student safety extremely seriously.”
He said when there is a disciplinary incident involving a weapon, the schools follow established policies.
“Any matter involving a weapon is typically addressed with the school board, local law enforcement and mental health providers to ensure adequate steps are taken to maintain safety and prevent any future occurrence,” Heraty said.
Possible disciplinary action as outlined in district policy can include several factors, and result in possible suspension or expulsion, but all action is governed by a procedure of due process.
Marshall said the school administration was unhappy with her for contacting police and was insistent about bringing the assailant back to school within a week of the incident. She alleged that the Lamoille South school board was dismissive of her concerns.
“I talked to the school board, and they really just brushed the entire thing off,” Marshall said. “They told me that boys are dumb, and their brains are not developed enough, so they make bad choices. Impulsive choices, I believe is the word that was used.”
Marshall alleged that the student who assaulted her son was the child of a longtime Peoples Academy teacher, and other community members had told her that this affected how he was disciplined.
“We strongly disagree with any statement that Peoples Academy administration ignored a safety issue,” Heraty said. “Our high school administration acted in a timely and student-centered manner.”
Lamoille South school board chair David Bickford did not return a request for comment.
Marshall also said that she and other parents found it upsetting that there was no public communication between the school and parents that a stabbing occurred at the school.
“It’s all been word of mouth where people have come up to me and been like, ‘Oh, my gosh, is this true? Did this really happen?’” Marshall said. “Parents that are just so unbelievably hurt that they’re not aware of these things, and it kind of makes you wonder what else they’ve swept under the carpet that we don’t know about.”
The student who stabbed Marshall’s son returned to school in early November, she said, and has been kept physically separated from her son, but Marshall still feels her concerns have gone mostly unaddressed.
“(My son) is definitely extremely uncomfortable. He’s still healing, it hasn’t quite healed correctly for him yet,” Marshall said. “He sees the school counselor often and has expressed his deep concern that the kid may retaliate against him, especially with everybody knowing what went on. The school doesn’t seem to worry about that at all. It just kind of feels like we’ve been completely brushed off so that they can get this kid back into class.”