One student was arrested and a knife was confiscated after a fight between two teenagers that sent a South Boston high school into lockdown.
Head of School Nachelle Gordon said Excel High School was placed into “safe mode” for approximately 25 minutes Wednesday, “due to a physical altercation involving a few students.” Police said the fight occurred inside the school.
“Excel High School, like other schools in the Boston Public Schools, focuses on fostering a safe environment for every member of our community,” Gordon wrote in a letter to families. “Any student in need is encouraged to speak with our school social worker.”
The fight left one student with minor injuries, which were treated on scene by the school nurse and responding EMS personnel. School staff deescalated the altercation and confiscated a knife produced by a student after the situation was resolved, Gordon wrote.
The Boston Police Department arrested a 16-year-old female student on charges of assault with a dangerous weapon and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, a police report states.
The case is considered closed, with one suspect and one victim identified, a BPD spokesperson told the Herald.
The police report details an incident involving at least three to four students, but notes that the actual fight was between two girls, one of whom, per a witness, swung a knife to “slice” the left side of the other girl’s face.
The witness stated the girl wielding the knife then chased the other female student up the stairs with the weapon, according to the police report.
Other students, listed as witnesses, stated that the fistfight stemmed from an ongoing issue between the two girls. The female student described as wielding the knife stated that she pulled it out to defend herself, the report states.
A threat assessment was conducted by officers based on information that a gun had been smuggled into the school by a female student, on behalf of her boyfriend, who does not attend Excel High.
He was expelled three weeks prior, according to his mother, who told officers her son does not possess firearms and to come back with a warrant to search the house. There were shooting threats made leading up to the fight, the police report states.
City Councilor Ed Flynn, who represents the area, said, “The safety of our students and teachers must be our top priority.”
“We need to reconsider our current BPS public safety plan, and include a role for police in our schools and metal detectors that work and are fully operational,” Flynn added. “It’s critical to provide a safe and healthy learning and teaching environment.”
Gordon’s letter provided an explanation of “safe mode” to families. The BPS safety protocol goes into effect when students are in close proximity to unsafe situations, both on the school campus or in the neighborhood, the letter states.
During safe mode, educators are required to keep students inside the school building while the safety team responds, Gordon wrote.
This week’s incident prompted a response from Boston Police, EMS and the BPS Department of Safety Services, a district team that includes city Emergency Management personnel and the Boston School Police.
