Spokane7
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March 11, 2011 in Idaho
CdA student stabbed in class; eighth-grader in police custody
“It’s hard to believe that I know someone who would try and kill someone else,” said Woodland Middle School 7th grader Marissa DiQuarto, front facing, as she hugged fellow classmates after stabbing at the school in Coeur d’Alene on Friday, March 11, 2011.
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A North Idaho middle school student was stabbed during class Friday in what Coeur d’Alene school officials called the district’s most violent incident in at least two decades.
A Woodland Middle School eighth-grade boy was stabbed in the shoulder, chest and arm with a pocketknife, authorities said. The boy was taken to Kootenai Medical Center for treatment of the non-life-threatening injuries.
His accused attacker, another eighth-grade boy, was booked into Kootenai County Juvenile Detention Center on a charge of aggravated battery, according to Coeur d’Alene police.
A teacher and several students witnessed the stabbing about 2:25 p.m. and immediately intervened, said school district spokeswoman Laura Rumpler. The school was locked down for about 15 minutes while police searched for the boy with the pocketknife.
He was found a short distance away from the school and taken into custody, police said.
Woodland Middle School seventh grader Marissa DiQuarto was shaken by the incident. “It’s hard to believe that I know someone who would try and kill someone else,” she said.
Rumpler said many students and staff were upset by the stabbing. “We are pulling together a crisis response team to be available at the school on Monday, so they can help people work through this.”
Stacy Schriger, who has two children at Woodland, pulled up to the school just as first-responders arrived. Concerned, she went into the school office. Police told her and other visitors it was dangerous for them to be in the school.
“We walked outside, and they locked the door behind us,” said Schriger, adding her children were still inside. “It was a horrible feeling.”
Schriger saw paramedics take the stabbing victim out. “He was alert, so that made us feel better.” The students were let out of the school a short time later.
A young girl who witnessed the stabbing spoke with Schriger afterward. “She was just quivering.”
This is the first time there’s been incident like this at Woodland Middle School, Rumpler said. The district has a zero-tolerance policy about weapons. “Any weapon, any pocketknife would be confiscated if seen or found on a student.”
Schriger considers the incident isolated and is not concerned for her children’s safety when they return to school on Monday.
“I think it will be a safer place because everyone will be so aware,” she said, adding her family lived just 15 minutes from Colorado’s Columbine High School in 1999, when a dozen students and a teacher were killed by two other students in a shooting rampage. “There’s something about a heightened awareness. If a kid’s having problems, now is probably the time when they will see it.”
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force_vector on March 11 at 4:19 p.m.
Welcome to juvenile detention, idiot. Probably not many knives in there, so might want to run, not walk to your cell.
eagleproducer on March 11 at 4:20 p.m.
Sounds like their “life skills” classes concerning conflict resolution could use some re-tooling.
Our number one job as educators is to create and maintain a safe environment for your children. I can’t understand for the life of me how it is that these students weren’t under some sort of supervision by a responsible adult who would make sure the “suspect” didn’t “get away.” I did read that correctly, right?
force_vector on March 11 at 4:25 p.m.
Suspect got away, and was later caught. You are correct, spoketucky.
eagleproducer on March 11 at 4:46 p.m.
I noticed Otter and none of the other nincompoops running Idaho have gone after “district spokespeople” or other administrati.
A school district needs a media relations director? Really?
District 81’s Roloff makes in excess of 100 grand a year and issues, on average, less than twenty releases a year. Five thousand per release? For every seven press releases we could hire a new teacher.
force_vector on March 11 at 5:17 p.m.
Perhaps the media relations director fills other roles between releases? I don’t know, obviously, just trying to be fair.
selkirks on March 11 at 6:11 p.m.
@spoketucky:
Along the same lines, but how about this: instead of simply hiring new teachers, let’s higher a small number of new teachers and spread the rest of the funds from excessive administration salaries among the teacher. Perhaps then teaching, perhaps the most important profession for our future, could become a legitimate career.
Seriously, you’re saying $35,000/year for a profession that literally determines our future. Unfortunately, those who would make good teachers won’t become teachers because they aren’t compensated at a level commiserate with the importance of the work that they do. Why is there a negative social stigma that comes with the teaching profession?
oneanddone on March 11 at 6:39 p.m.
Funny thing about spell check. If you use the wrong word but spell it like another correctly you look ignorant. There really is no negative social stigma hung around the neck of the teaching profession. It’s all made up by the media looking to rankle and legislators looking for any reason to cut the heart from public education. You can add those too cheap to do for today’s youth what their forebearers did for them and parents who are worthless. Teachers are often given a sow’s ear and expected to make a silk purse.
Bruce (aka thatoneguy) on March 11 at 9:27 p.m.
It does say that a teacher was one of the ones who witnessed the incident & intervened. I wouldn’t call that an unsupervised situation. Even if the teacher was in the same room, they might need several seconds to get across the room to where the stabbing was going on.
thevoice on March 11 at 10:16 p.m.
spotucky, in that kind of instance the primary duty would be caring for the wounded kid and the rest of the class, would it not? Let the Police catch the pinhead.
eagleproducer on March 12 at 9:28 a.m.
The information about the teacher and other students intervening was added to the original story after my first post. I agree, thevoice, in that situation it would be the proper course of action.
Julia70 on March 12 at 11:15 a.m.
Just wait until the Idaho Republican Legislators make it legal to carry a gun to school. The only kids that will feel the need to take a gun to school are the bullies, wow Thanks Ideeho republicans you really are worthless pieces of you know what.
NoxAtreyu on March 14 at 12:44 a.m.
this is crazy business i went to school there less than 10 years ago… my brother goes there now wtf is this world coming to…. the parents of this kid should be ashamed of themselves, you people may blame the school but its not their fault… school was out when it happened… just ending at least… and a teacher was right there because they do have teachers at all the exits once school gets out… (sorry but Spokane schools got nuthin on us lol) but this kid did get this behavior from somewhere and the knife from somewhere… good job parents…. i hope i do a better job making sure my kids don’t end up like yours
NoxAtreyu on March 14 at 12:44 a.m.
i don’t mean to offend .. but jeez come on…
melz12 on March 18 at 6:11 p.m.
There are many comments here in this site that you either know or know of someone who has information on a bullying problem at Woodland Middle School. How long are we going to let our kids go to school without protection? We have attached an email for any comments you may have.
stopbullying4good@yahoo.com