EV district student expelled for bring knife to school

A 13-year-old East Valley Middle School student was arrested Thursday for bringing a knife to school Wednesday morning and threatening to “shank” another student with it.

The student and another boy allegedly were in a hallway at the school, 4920 N. Progress Road, when the suspect displayed a Spiderco folding knife, said Cpl. Dave Reagan, a Spokane Valley Police spokesman.

The student with the knife threatened to “shank” the other student with the weapon, but no assault occurred, Reagan said. The victim reported the incident to his parents Wednesday night, but they did not alert school staff until Thursday morning, Reagan said.

After learning of the encounter Thursday morning, Kyle Rydell, the school’s vice principal, called the student into his office and asked if he still had the knife.

The student, who claimed he and the victim were just playing around, placed the knife on Rydell’s desk without incident, Reagan said. At that point, Rydell said he turned the investigation over to law enforcement.

“Nobody was at risk of injury. But in any situation you always expect the kids to let you know right away,” Rydell said.

Police were called to the school, and the boy was arrested and booked into the Spokane County Juvenile Detention Center on a misdemeanor charge of having a weapon capable of producing bodily harm, Reagan said.

The student was also given an emergency expulsion, pending further investigation. The school district has a zero tolerance policy on weapons in the schools, which can sometimes result in permanent expulsion.

A student was expelled from the district in February after bringing a loaded gun to East Valley High School and pointing it in a teacher’s face.