PERTH AMBOY, NJ – The Perth Amboy Board of Education lashed out at the media today saying an assault and stabbing of an 11-year-old student shortly after dismissal did not occur on Board of Education property.
The district said the boy was stabbed several blocks away from his home from Shull Middle School.
“The incident did not occur on school grounds,” the Board of Education said in a statement today.
The attack allegedly did stem from a fight that took place outside the school shortly after dismissal Wednesday afternoon, according to witnesses. At the time of the incident, the district took no action.
Later that intersection escalated and ended with one student being stabbed. In the attack, an 11-year-old sixth-grade student used a kitchen knife to stab another student. Police say the boy followed the other student to his home and stabbed him.
“The City of Perth Amboy, the Perth Amboy Police Department, and the administration and Board of Education of the Perth Amboy Public Schools jointly condemn and will not tolerate acts of violence against any community members, especially our children.
“We request that news outlets and individuals refrain from spreading misinformation regarding the investigation actively being conducted by law enforcement into an incident,” the BOE said. “A Perth Amboy student was assaulted and seriously injured near his home while walking home from school. The student is currently hospitalized.”
A press release issued by the district that criticized the media appeared to be focused more on where the attack happened than the victim of the attack or the root cause of the attack.
“The events that occurred on Wednesday involving two young students at the start of their adolescence is a tragedy,” the BOE said in the statement. “Every community member, youth, parent, educator, and resident feels it. Anytime an incident involves an injury to a child, emotions rise as it is a fundamental part of our human consciousness.”
The student has been charged with juvenile delinquency.
The president of the Perth Amboy Teachers Union, Patricia Paradiso blamed administrators in the district saying they have created an environment that tolerates fighting and vaping on a regular basis. Paradiso said teacher complaints about the quality of life for staff and students have gone ignored by administrators.
The case bears similarity to a tragedy that unfolded earlier this month at the Jersey Shore where 14-year-old Central Regional School District student Amanda Kuch killed herself after bullying against her went unchecked by school administrators.
In school districts across the state, administration officials have turned a blind eye to unruly behavior by students, violence, and drug use.
In recent weeks, several school teachers have contacted Shore News Network to expose how administrators are trying to cover up the reality on the ground for teachers statewide. In the coming weeks, we will be focusing more on the issue as reports are investigated.
Any teachers who wish to report administrators covering up school bullying, harassment, drug use, or violence can email us anonymously at news@shorenewsnetwork.com.