ROCKPORT, MASS. (WHDH) - Hundreds of parents turned out for a two-hour-long meeting at Rockport Middle School Tuesday night after a 13-year-old boy allegedly stabbed a female classmate on Monday — leaving her seriously injured.
In the meeting, the Superintendent Rob Liebow, Police Chief John Horvath and a number of counselors talked to parents about how to approach speaking with their children about the incident.
“They had a chance to listen to experts from Riverside Trauma talk about how they deal with their own children in terms of being people that aren’t prepared to deal with that,” Liebow said. “Needing the help of professionals to know how to speak to your child about something as horrible as that.”
Officers responding to a reported stabbing at the school on Jerdens Lane around 7:30 a.m. found a female student suffering from an apparent stab wound, according to Rockport police.
She was taken to a nearby hospital with injuries that are considered serious but non-life-threatening.
Liebow read a statement at the meeting from the girl’s parents reading in part:
“Morgan is on the mend and is looking forward to seeing her classmates and teachers soon.”
The suspect, a 13-year-old boy from Rockport, allegedly fled after the incident.
Sources say the suspect communicated with other students over social media after the stabbing.
In those messages, the student admits to stabbing the girl in the back and suggests that she was not his intended target before encouraging the students to delete the texts.
The school, which had not yet started classes, was placed into lockdown as police searched for the suspected stabber.
Counselors were on hand for students at the school Tuesday.
Parents say they hope nothing like this ever happens again.
“I think it’s been great. I think that the police were there and they did an awesome job and they did an excellent job with the response,” parent Rebecca Sly said outside the meeting. “The superintendent as well, and the school, they did their best for that kind of situation.”
The boy appeared before a juvenile judge Monday. That judge ordered the court documents to remain sealed due to his age.
This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.
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