CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- A Meadowbrook High School student was hospitalized in serious, but stable condition following a stabbing at the school on Tuesday afternoon. Chesterfield Police and school officials reported that a second student was taken into custody in connection with the incident.
"Once we arrived here at the school, we immediately put the school into lockdown, and we made contact with a student again who had been stabbed. Life-saving measures were taken at that time; that student has been transported to an area hospital," Chesterfield Police Lt. Lance Turner said during a media briefing Tuesday afternoon. "There is no threat to the public at this time."
The stabbing, which occurred around 12:20 p.m., is currently under investigation, and authorities have not disclosed details about the circumstances leading up to the violent incident.
Chesterfield Schools interim superintendent Dr. John Murray praised the swift police response and assured support for students affected by the violence.
"As we think through the next steps, obviously, there will be counselors and other mental health supports available for students in the coming days," Murray said. "We will meet as a critical incident team very shortly to begin thinking through what the next steps are when the faculty meeting debrief needs to occur, family communication follow-ups, as well as those employee supports and student supports to reconcile emotional and mental health trauma that this may have caused, understandably so."
As part of that plan, Meadowbrook will not open for classes on Wednesday.
"Between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. [Wednesday], we will have counselors and other mental health professionals available at our school to support students and staff members," a school spokesperson announced via email Tuesday afternoon. "Students and staff may come to school for support services at any time during those hours."
Since Thursday was a previously scheduled school holiday, students would return to classes on Friday.
Students were allowed to leave school early on Tuesday once the situation was brought under control and the lockdown was lifted.
Parents were instructed to pick up their children at nearby Meadowdale Library if they chose to do so.
"I never thought in a million years. You know you always see it on TV, you always see it on the news, and you always say, ‘It’ll never happen to me.’ As parents, we always say that. but today has been a real eye-opener," Chesterfield parent JB said as he arrived at the library to pick up his son. "It’s nerve-wracking because I did about 10 years in Afghanistan and about four years in Iraq, and then you think we come home, and our kids, we fight and do everything we do overseas and make sure our kids be safe, but it’s like, why do we do it anymore? We can’t get no safety."
While JB said he was satisfied with how the school handled the situation, he was left with one lingering question.
"What do I tell my son now? When he asks me questions, 'Hey Dad why did this happen?' What do I tell him?”
School Security
Surrounding school districts such as Richmond and Henrico have previously implemented measures like weapons or metal detectors for this school year. However, Chesterfield County Public Schools, the largest school district in Central Virginia, does not.
Some community members, like Liz Rodriguez, took to the CBS 6 Facebook page and wondered why the district did not implement the additional safety measures.
"Right now, none of Chesterfield County Public Schools have weapons detection or metal detectors outside of large gatherings like athletic events or our graduations," Murray said. "However, we began the process a few weeks back of evaluating the appropriateness, the fiscal reasonability, as well as the logistics of being able to install weapons detection at our schools. We've observed at one site last week, senior leadership did, and we have another site visit and another neighboring county planned for this coming Friday. Unfortunately, incidents such as these support the need to put any and all safety measures in place."
The district has been focusing on finishing installing vestibules at all schools. These vestibules are lockable interior spaces with controlled doorways that resemble a lobby. Officials say the three-year, $3 million project will be finished this month.
The district also has several other safety measures in place from school resources officers, threat assessments, and cameras.
Chesterfields School Board Chair could not be reached for comment on whether any further changes to increase safety are possible.
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.
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