BOSTON, MA – Yet another violent incident has occurred at a Boston public school, prompting renewed promises to ensure student safety. On Tuesday morning, a 15-year-old girl stabbed a 14-year-old girl during a fight at Jeremiah E. Burke High School. The victim sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment. The school was placed on lockdown, and the alleged assailant was promptly arrested by Boston police.
This is not the first time that violent incidents have occurred within the school system. Just last year, a 14-year-old boy was caught with a loaded gun at UP Academy Charter School of Boston, and in 2022, a teacher and student were shot outside TechBoston while preparing to board a bus for a basketball tournament. Unfortunately, these incidents are not isolated to a single school, highlighting a broader problem within the Boston Public School system.
Despite the escalating violence, there has been no move to reinstate Boston Police Officers within city schools. Mayor Michelle Wu commended the school staff’s immediate response in the wake of the latest incident at Jeremiah E. Burke High School. However, the focus remains on responding to violent incidents rather than preventing them from happening in the first place.
The issue of safety in schools has garnered the attention of community leaders, with Reverend Eugene Rivers emphasizing the crisis of public safety in Boston schools that has been overlooked by Mayor Wu. According to Boston City Councilor Brian Worrell, it is disheartening that students at Jeremiah Burke High School had to experience and witness such violence and trauma. This sentiment could be applied to many schools across the district, underscoring the urgent need for proactive measures to address school safety.
The school’s Head of School, Amilcar Silva, has pledged to maintain a commitment to safety every day in every school in a letter to staff and parents. However, the continued occurrence of violent incidents highlights the need for more comprehensive and effective strategies to ensure the safety of students and staff in Boston schools.