Last night we told you about the student stabbed by her classmate in the principal’s office at St. John’s Vianney Primary School. At midday yesterday, 12 year old Aaliyah Linares was taken to the principal’s office after a physical altercation with another student. It was while in the principal’s office that Aaliyah was attacked with a sharp instrument. She was stabbed multiple times, she required several stitches, and a doctor classified her injuries as wounding. Her mother brought her to our newsroom last night to show us the extent of the injuries to the child.
And while he initially denied it yesterday, the school’s principal Felix Sutherland today conceded the incident did occur. He says both girls were taken to his office, he calmed them down, and asked them if he could take his lunch break – since it occurred during the lunch hour. It was while eating his lunch that the stabbing occurred.
Sutherland stressed that he doesn’t condone any type of violent behaviour. He lamented that at Saint John’s Vianney Primary School – like at many other primary schools - the long lunch break with hundreds of unsupervised children has become a problem. The school plans to shorten its lunch break when classes resume after Easter.
As for the two 12 year olds involved in the incident, Aaliyah is at home recovering while the fate of the classmate who stabbed her is in the hands of police and the Ministry of Education. Aaliyah’s family says they will press charges and there is a likelihood that the child will be expelled from Saint John’s Vianney.
