March 26, 2018
Greetings O.L. Smith Community,
In this day of instant communication it is not uncommon for situations occurring at school to become the topic of rumors and social media conversations. Unfortunately, many times these conversations contain only partial information or worse yet, are completely inaccurate. My message today is to provide clear facts on a very unfortunate and isolated incident that occurred at our school today.
During one of our lunch sessions a student, who was angry over a post that appeared on social media over the weekend, confronted the student who made the social media posting. The student then left the cafeteria and went to their locker and came back to the cafeteria with a small steak knife.
The student was being watched by several staff members who quickly intervened, took possession of the knife, and brought the student to the office. The student was agitated during this confrontation with staff and therefore, for the safety of all involved, had to be restrained while being removed. Our staff is trained on the proper procedures that must be followed by law when restraining a student and used the techniques that are allowed under these procedures. No student was injured and, because staff were aware and monitoring the situation, at no time were any students in immediate danger from the student with the knife.
Given the heighten awareness regarding school safety it is understandable that some students would be upset by the events that took place today. Our school social worker was joined by other social workers from the district and went to all classroom to discuss the incident with the students, reassure them the school is safe, and let them know school staff would be available if any individual student wanted to discuss this situation further.
Today’s event was very upsetting and not the typical behavior I know the students at O.L. Smith are accustomed to seeing in our school. If any parent has further questions about this event please call my office or e-mail. By working together and keeping an open line of communications we will continue to provide all students with a safe learning environment.
Sincerely,
Zeina Jebril
Principal of O.L.Smith Middle School