Two staffers were stabbed at Castor Gardens Middle School because of an ‘epic administrative failure,’ union chief says
“There were many, many different steps that should have been to prevent this,” PFT President Arthur Steinberg said.
Two staffers were stabbed by a student at Castor Gardens Middle School because of an “epic administrative failure,” the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers president said Wednesday.
The details of how the student got into the Northeast Philadelphia school with a knife, despite metal detectors, were not clear, and PFT President Arthur Steinberg declined to give specifics, saying he wanted to give Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. time to investigate and take action.
But Steinberg said that even after it became clear that the student was armed with a knife and threatening to stab people, no lockdown was called. Instead, paraprofessional Rasheima Hainey put herself in harm’s way, running up and down hallways telling teachers to lock their doors.
“She put herself at great risk and saved countless lives and injuries,” Steinberg said.
Monique Braxton, a spokesperson for the school district, said Tuesday the school was locked down for 90 minutes, but it’s not clear when the lockdown was called. Later that day the district released a statement saying Philadelphia police were working closely with its Office of School Safety to better understand “the circumstances surrounding this incident.”
“The student did pass through a minimally-invasive gun detection technology when he entered the building,” the statement said. “The device is set up to detect firearms.”
Steinberg said: “This incident really should not have occurred; it’s due really to an epic administrative failure at the school level. The details that I have received from our members are pretty disturbing. No one should be put at risk like this.”
The union chief indicated that there were multiple failures that led to the student, whom officials have said qualifies for special education services, getting a knife into the building and being able to stab multiple people.
The two staffers who were stabbed had minor injuries; only one was taken to the hospital, and she was treated and released.
“There were many, many different steps that should have been to prevent this,” Steinberg said.
Watlington told Steinberg in a Wednesday afternoon phone conversation that he would investigate, Steinberg said. The superintendent also said that “they’re going to assign more staff, they’re going to tighten up the security of the school.”
In addition to school-level missteps, Steinberg said there were larger systemic issues that played into the stabbing.
“This is also a result of the chronic disinvestment that’s happened in our schools. They don’t have enough resources, including personnel and equipment,” Steinberg said.
Steinberg and other PFT staff were on site at Castor Gardens Tuesday and Wednesday, speaking to staff, whom they described as shaken but determined.
“The staff was there to support the students, like our teachers always are,” said LeShawna Coleman, PFT’s chief of staff. “They are there in support of kids.”
Teachers met with students for over an hour, Coleman said, answering questions about what will be done to keep them safe. Some wondered whether the student who had stabbed the staffers was back in the building. (The child was not back in school on Wednesday.)
“Teachers did all they could to let them know that they were safe with them,” Coleman said.
Steinberg spoke to the paraprofessional who was stabbed, who was shaken but physically fine, he said.
And he thanked Hainey too, for her bravery — in person. Despite her traumatic Tuesday, Hainey showed up for work on Wednesday.