BOSTON (WHDH) - A staff member was taken to an area hospital Tuesday after being physically assaulted by a student at the Henderson K-12 Inclusion School in Dorchester, the school’s interim head of school said.
Interim Head of School Stephanie Sibley said in a letter to school community members that the incident happened Tuesday morning.
While multiple students saw the incident unfold, officials said no students were injured and school personnel were able to quickly de-escalate the situation.
Sibley’s letter said the injured staff member was first seen by a school nurse before being taken to the hospital for further evaluation.
“The student involved will face disciplinary action in accordance with the BPS Code of Conduct, additional disciplinary action from law enforcement is also possible,” Sibley said.
“The Henderson and all Boston Public Schools are committed to fostering environments where all students and staff feel safe, welcome, and respected,” she continued.
A Boston Public Schools spokesperson said a Henderson School staffer was physically assaulted by a student while trying to break up a fight.
Boston City Councilor and former Henderson teacher Erin Murphy told 7NEWS that a seventh grade student attacked a paraprofessional in the incident. The paraprofessional, Murphy said, was badly hurt.
This incident was the latest in a string of safety concerns at the Henderson School.
Back in November of 2021, prosecutors said a teenage girl knocked Principal Patricia Lampron unconscious, sending her to the hospital and closing the school for several days.
The student was charged in the attack. Lampron never returned to the school.
Last month, at least four children went to the hospital after eating weed edibles at school.
Rev. David Searles is part of the group “Boston Save Our Schools,” which advocates for safer Boston Public Schools.
The group crafted a safety plan last summer which included putting police back in schools and adding metal detectors and early intervention strategies.
The safety plan currently in place, Searles said, “isn’t working.”
“We need a new one,” he continued.
Asked this week if school leadership is doing enough, Searles responded “I don’t think so.”
Sibley said Boston Public Schools Safety Services personnel were working with the Boston police as of Tuesday afternoon “to follow up on the investigation” into this most recent incident at the Henderson School.
As that work continued, a spokesperson said events earlier in the day would not impact a graduation event set for Tuesday night for graduating Henderson high school students.
Boston Public Schools superintendent Mary Skipper put out a statement late Tuesday night, calling this incident “unacceptable.”
Social workers are expected to be at the Henderson School on Wednesday to handle any needs.
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