Middle School Student Fatally Stabbed In Bathroom
A fatal middle school stabbing has left a community reeling as it marks the fourth homicide in a 24-hour span.
Not only is school violence on the rise, but more specifically school murders are increasing in occurrences. While mass shootings are a major part of this, the rate at which individual acts of violence between two students is increasing at alarming rates. Joining these ranks is a Kansas City middle school, where the community is reeling from the tragic death of a student after a school stabbing.
According to reports from the Kansas City Police Department via People, 14-year-old Manuel J. Guzman was the victim of a school stabbing at the Northeast Middle School in Kansas City, Missouri. Guzman and the culprit were both eighth-graders at the school. According to reports, a school security guard altered police to the stabbing after the two were found fighting in a school bathroom. Because the suspect is a minor, his name is being withheld by authorities. He was arrested inside the school by police and is being held in jail on charges of first-degree murder, armed criminal action, and unlawful use of a weapon.
The 14-year-old boy was taken directly to the hospital following the school stabbing. Around 8:15 that night, police reported that the young boy passed from his injuries. The motivation is still unknown, but a police spokesperson said that it was a “sort of confrontation” that led to the fight in the bathroom.
The middle school reopened on Wednesday and additional counselors were placed on hand to support grieving students. Kansas City’s mayor, Quinton Lucas, addressed the school stabbing on Twitter, saying that schools should be “safe environments” for students to learn. Students who knew Guzman also made statements to local news channels, with one questioning how the alleged suspect got the knife inside, considering the school has metal detectors at all entrances.
Crime in Kansas City, in general, is on the rise, and the deadly school stabbing marked the fourth homicide in the major city in a 24-hour span. Last year, there was a violent stabbing at one of the city’s high schools involving three students. It’s an issue that is perpetually worsening in Kansas City, as many concerned parents already reported pulling their children from unsafe schools at the beginning of this school year.
While school leaders and authorities vow to combat the growing issue of violence following this week’s deadly school stabbing, some parents and community members have taken matters into their own hands. Called Men For Change, the new initiative was created by Joseph Straws, a volunteer working as a mentor in Kansas City schools for over two decades. The initiative uses men and dads in the local community to add extra support in school. It mirrors a slew of other programs popping up around the country.
The group known as Dads On Duty is a collective of volunteer fathers in Rigby, Idaho. The group walks school hallways and cafeterias to offer friendly conversations as a means to connect with students and show positive male role models. Las Vegas, another city riddled with violence in schools, has a similar initiative called Dads in Schools. Straws, like these father figures throughout the country, hope that even the smallest efforts can make a difference and avoid future violence in schools like the school stabbing that occurred on Monday.
