FAIRFAX, Va. — A 16-year-old boy was stabbed at a Virginia high school Wednesday morning, Fairfax County Police said. Now, school officials say students will be screened for weapons before classes on Thursday. 

During a fight between three students, a 15-year-old stabbed a 16-year-old inside West Potomac High School at 9:40 a.m., police said. A student resource officer was on the scene within seconds, Police Chief Kevin Davis said. 

Emergency medical services responded to the school at 9:50 a.m. for a report of a stabbing. When they arrived, they found the teenager with multiple stab wounds. Authorities said his injuries were life-threatening, but he was brought to a nearby hospital and his injuries have been downgraded to stable.

A spokesperson for Fairfax County Police confirmed a 15-year-old boy is in custody for the stabbing. The student is facing charges of malicious wounding. The third student involved is being interviewed, but police say they are not charging them at this time. No other suspects are outstanding, police said.

Superintendent Michelle Reid said students would not be released early. They were in a modified lunch program for the rest of the day, where staff are able to monitor them closely and students can have access to counseling services if needed. 

At a press conference, parents questioned why they aren’t allowing parents to pick up students at this time. The school system sent out an email to families saying West Potomac is in a “Stay Put, Stay Tuned” safety protocol. Typically, in this protocol, parents and guardians are allowed to pick up their students with proper identification, but at this time, they are not releasing any students. Reid said they are not releasing children to parents until the crime scene has been cleared. 

“Constant text messages from my daughter, ‘Get me out of here, I’m ready to go,'” said Bill Beal, the father of a high schooler who witnessed the stabbing. “This is more of a lockdown than a ‘stay put.’ We’re still denied, I still can’t go get my daughter, and at the end of the day, I think that’s all these parents want, is to get their kids, to hug their kids.”

>WATCH the full news conference below:

Beal said the notification from the school system came 45 minutes after the incident, which he said was too late, and that they should have told parents that they would not be able to pick up their students as they typically would.

Multiple parents waiting at the school, hoping to pick up their children, said their students sent them graphic videos and pictures of the fight and stabbing.

“I get this second video, with the kid on the floor, sangrando [bleeding],” said Aellene Fernandez, a mother whose child also witnessed the stabbing.

Fernandez attended the press conference as well and said school administrators did not answer her questions. She also hasn’t been allowed to take her son out of the school. 

“We got here and we get no answers,” she added. “This is just crazy. We get videos from the kids inside, there’s videos all over social media of what happened.”

“I want to check my daughter out, why can’t I?” asked Bill Beal, whose daughter was in school that day. “Everything is unsatisfactory, from the alert that goes out to parents, that says stay put, stay tuned. Under that alert, we can, with appropriate ID, check out our children. This is a lockdown.”

However, Fairfax County’s police chief, Kevin Davis, says that although the circumstances weren’t ideal, keeping everyone in the building was the best approach to keep everyone safe.

“The last thing we want as responsible adults, whether we’re FCPD or FCPS, is to release emotional groups of students and something retaliatory in nature happens down the street this way or down the street that way,” he explained. “So it’s always a measured, calculated decision.”

In the email, Jamie Carfang, a school administrator, wrote that this is an isolated incident and has been contained. All students at the school are safe. 

The high school is on a campus called West Potomac Academy that also includes an elementary school. All students have been returned to their base schools, she wrote, and there will be no afternoon shuttles on Wednesday. She also asked that no one come to the school at this time.

In a letter to the community Wednesday night, Principal Jessica Statz said an extra layer of safety would be added to the school Thursday morning, with anyone entering the campus being screened for weapons using a weapons detection system FCPS is piloting. 

Additionally, a crisis team of psychologists and social workers will be at the school to help provide support for the rest of the week. 

“We will continue to hold the student in our thoughts as they continue to recover. We will also continue to teach our students that violence is never the way to handle conflict. We will continue to be a strong community and we will get through this together,” Statz wrote. 

On Wednesday, three school board members, including one whose district houses West Potomac High School, issued a joint statement calling for new security measures. 

Fairfax County Public Schools is widely considered one of the safest public school systems in the United States, but in light of the unacceptable act of violence at West Potomac HS, it is necessary to invest in new measures to ensure the safety and security of our students. Today the undersigned School Board Members call on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to prioritize the following security measures:

• Increase the number of School Resource Officers (SRO) to the nationally recommended ratio of 1:1000 students at every middle school and high school; and
• Ensure one or more SROs is present every day at every middle and high school; and
• Fully fund the Middle School After-School program, which was established to improve academic outcomes, develop healthy and successful youth, and combat gang violence. 

In addition, the undersigned School Board Members call on Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) to prioritize the following security measures:

• Increase the number of security assistants to 1:750 students at every middle school and high school to ensure appropriate enforcement of student discipline and enable continuous monitoring of bathrooms, hallways, and other areas throughout the school day;
• Installing Open Gate weapons detection technology at every middle school and high school, so this technology, which is used by the Secret Service, can prevent incidents like the one today;
• Secure entry doors to prevent unauthorized access during the school day;
• Install video cameras inside and outside of every elementary, middle, and high school;
• Accelerate the construction of security vestibules at every school; and
• Conduct a security audit of every elementary, middle, and high school.

Mateo Dunne
Mount Vernon District, Fairfax County School Board

Ilryong Moon
At-Large, Fairfax County School Board

Ryan McElveen
At-Large, Fairfax County School Board

FAIRFAX, Va. — A 16-year-old boy was stabbed at a Virginia high school Wednesday morning, Fairfax County Police said. Now, school officials say students will be screened for weapons before classes on Thursday. 

During a fight between three students, a 15-year-old stabbed a 16-year-old inside West Potomac High School at 9:40 a.m., police said. A student resource officer was on the scene within seconds, Police Chief Kevin Davis said. 

Emergency medical services responded to the school at 9:50 a.m. for a report of a stabbing. When they arrived, they found the teenager with multiple stab wounds. Authorities said his injuries were life-threatening, but he was brought to a nearby hospital and his injuries have been downgraded to stable.

A spokesperson for Fairfax County Police confirmed a 15-year-old boy is in custody for the stabbing. The student is facing charges of malicious wounding. The third student involved is being interviewed, but police say they are not charging them at this time. No other suspects are outstanding, police said.

Superintendent Michelle Reid said students would not be released early. They were in a modified lunch program for the rest of the day, where staff are able to monitor them closely and students can have access to counseling services if needed. 

At a press conference, parents questioned why they aren’t allowing parents to pick up students at this time. The school system sent out an email to families saying West Potomac is in a “Stay Put, Stay Tuned” safety protocol. Typically, in this protocol, parents and guardians are allowed to pick up their students with proper identification, but at this time, they are not releasing any students. Reid said they are not releasing children to parents until the crime scene has been cleared. 

“Constant text messages from my daughter, ‘Get me out of here, I’m ready to go,'” said Bill Beal, the father of a high schooler who witnessed the stabbing. “This is more of a lockdown than a ‘stay put.’ We’re still denied, I still can’t go get my daughter, and at the end of the day, I think that’s all these parents want, is to get their kids, to hug their kids.”

>WATCH the full news conference below:

Beal said the notification from the school system came 45 minutes after the incident, which he said was too late, and that they should have told parents that they would not be able to pick up their students as they typically would.

Multiple parents waiting at the school, hoping to pick up their children, said their students sent them graphic videos and pictures of the fight and stabbing.

“I get this second video, with the kid on the floor, sangrando [bleeding],” said Aellene Fernandez, a mother whose child also witnessed the stabbing.

Fernandez attended the press conference as well and said school administrators did not answer her questions. She also hasn’t been allowed to take her son out of the school. 

“We got here and we get no answers,” she added. “This is just crazy. We get videos from the kids inside, there’s videos all over social media of what happened.”

“I want to check my daughter out, why can’t I?” asked Bill Beal, whose daughter was in school that day. “Everything is unsatisfactory, from the alert that goes out to parents, that says stay put, stay tuned. Under that alert, we can, with appropriate ID, check out our children. This is a lockdown.”

However, Fairfax County’s police chief, Kevin Davis, says that although the circumstances weren’t ideal, keeping everyone in the building was the best approach to keep everyone safe.

“The last thing we want as responsible adults, whether we’re FCPD or FCPS, is to release emotional groups of students and something retaliatory in nature happens down the street this way or down the street that way,” he explained. “So it’s always a measured, calculated decision.”

In the email, Jamie Carfang, a school administrator, wrote that this is an isolated incident and has been contained. All students at the school are safe. 

The high school is on a campus called West Potomac Academy that also includes an elementary school. All students have been returned to their base schools, she wrote, and there will be no afternoon shuttles on Wednesday. She also asked that no one come to the school at this time.

In a letter to the community Wednesday night, Principal Jessica Statz said an extra layer of safety would be added to the school Thursday morning, with anyone entering the campus being screened for weapons using a weapons detection system FCPS is piloting. 

Additionally, a crisis team of psychologists and social workers will be at the school to help provide support for the rest of the week. 

“We will continue to hold the student in our thoughts as they continue to recover. We will also continue to teach our students that violence is never the way to handle conflict. We will continue to be a strong community and we will get through this together,” Statz wrote. 

On Wednesday, three school board members, including one whose district houses West Potomac High School, issued a joint statement calling for new security measures. 

Fairfax County Public Schools is widely considered one of the safest public school systems in the United States, but in light of the unacceptable act of violence at West Potomac HS, it is necessary to invest in new measures to ensure the safety and security of our students. Today the undersigned School Board Members call on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to prioritize the following security measures:

• Increase the number of School Resource Officers (SRO) to the nationally recommended ratio of 1:1000 students at every middle school and high school; and
• Ensure one or more SROs is present every day at every middle and high school; and
• Fully fund the Middle School After-School program, which was established to improve academic outcomes, develop healthy and successful youth, and combat gang violence. 

In addition, the undersigned School Board Members call on Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) to prioritize the following security measures:

• Increase the number of security assistants to 1:750 students at every middle school and high school to ensure appropriate enforcement of student discipline and enable continuous monitoring of bathrooms, hallways, and other areas throughout the school day;
• Installing Open Gate weapons detection technology at every middle school and high school, so this technology, which is used by the Secret Service, can prevent incidents like the one today;
• Secure entry doors to prevent unauthorized access during the school day;
• Install video cameras inside and outside of every elementary, middle, and high school;
• Accelerate the construction of security vestibules at every school; and
• Conduct a security audit of every elementary, middle, and high school.

Mateo Dunne
Mount Vernon District, Fairfax County School Board

Ilryong Moon
At-Large, Fairfax County School Board

Ryan McElveen
At-Large, Fairfax County School Board

FAIRFAX, Va. — A 16-year-old boy was stabbed at a Virginia high school Wednesday morning, Fairfax County Police said. Now, school officials say students will be screened for weapons before classes on Thursday. 

During a fight between three students, a 15-year-old stabbed a 16-year-old inside West Potomac High School at 9:40 a.m., police said. A student resource officer was on the scene within seconds, Police Chief Kevin Davis said. 

Emergency medical services responded to the school at 9:50 a.m. for a report of a stabbing. When they arrived, they found the teenager with multiple stab wounds. Authorities said his injuries were life-threatening, but he was brought to a nearby hospital and his injuries have been downgraded to stable.

A spokesperson for Fairfax County Police confirmed a 15-year-old boy is in custody for the stabbing. The student is facing charges of malicious wounding. The third student involved is being interviewed, but police say they are not charging them at this time. No other suspects are outstanding, police said.

Superintendent Michelle Reid said students would not be released early. They were in a modified lunch program for the rest of the day, where staff are able to monitor them closely and students can have access to counseling services if needed. 

At a press conference, parents questioned why they aren’t allowing parents to pick up students at this time. The school system sent out an email to families saying West Potomac is in a “Stay Put, Stay Tuned” safety protocol. Typically, in this protocol, parents and guardians are allowed to pick up their students with proper identification, but at this time, they are not releasing any students. Reid said they are not releasing children to parents until the crime scene has been cleared. 

“Constant text messages from my daughter, ‘Get me out of here, I’m ready to go,'” said Bill Beal, the father of a high schooler who witnessed the stabbing. “This is more of a lockdown than a ‘stay put.’ We’re still denied, I still can’t go get my daughter, and at the end of the day, I think that’s all these parents want, is to get their kids, to hug their kids.”

>WATCH the full news conference below:

Beal said the notification from the school system came 45 minutes after the incident, which he said was too late, and that they should have told parents that they would not be able to pick up their students as they typically would.

Multiple parents waiting at the school, hoping to pick up their children, said their students sent them graphic videos and pictures of the fight and stabbing.

“I get this second video, with the kid on the floor, sangrando [bleeding],” said Aellene Fernandez, a mother whose child also witnessed the stabbing.

Fernandez attended the press conference as well and said school administrators did not answer her questions. She also hasn’t been allowed to take her son out of the school. 

“We got here and we get no answers,” she added. “This is just crazy. We get videos from the kids inside, there’s videos all over social media of what happened.”

“I want to check my daughter out, why can’t I?” asked Bill Beal, whose daughter was in school that day. “Everything is unsatisfactory, from the alert that goes out to parents, that says stay put, stay tuned. Under that alert, we can, with appropriate ID, check out our children. This is a lockdown.”

However, Fairfax County’s police chief, Kevin Davis, says that although the circumstances weren’t ideal, keeping everyone in the building was the best approach to keep everyone safe.

“The last thing we want as responsible adults, whether we’re FCPD or FCPS, is to release emotional groups of students and something retaliatory in nature happens down the street this way or down the street that way,” he explained. “So it’s always a measured, calculated decision.”

In the email, Jamie Carfang, a school administrator, wrote that this is an isolated incident and has been contained. All students at the school are safe. 

The high school is on a campus called West Potomac Academy that also includes an elementary school. All students have been returned to their base schools, she wrote, and there will be no afternoon shuttles on Wednesday. She also asked that no one come to the school at this time.

In a letter to the community Wednesday night, Principal Jessica Statz said an extra layer of safety would be added to the school Thursday morning, with anyone entering the campus being screened for weapons using a weapons detection system FCPS is piloting. 

Additionally, a crisis team of psychologists and social workers will be at the school to help provide support for the rest of the week. 

“We will continue to hold the student in our thoughts as they continue to recover. We will also continue to teach our students that violence is never the way to handle conflict. We will continue to be a strong community and we will get through this together,” Statz wrote. 

On Wednesday, three school board members, including one whose district houses West Potomac High School, issued a joint statement calling for new security measures. 

Fairfax County Public Schools is widely considered one of the safest public school systems in the United States, but in light of the unacceptable act of violence at West Potomac HS, it is necessary to invest in new measures to ensure the safety and security of our students. Today the undersigned School Board Members call on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to prioritize the following security measures:

• Increase the number of School Resource Officers (SRO) to the nationally recommended ratio of 1:1000 students at every middle school and high school; and
• Ensure one or more SROs is present every day at every middle and high school; and
• Fully fund the Middle School After-School program, which was established to improve academic outcomes, develop healthy and successful youth, and combat gang violence. 

In addition, the undersigned School Board Members call on Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) to prioritize the following security measures:

• Increase the number of security assistants to 1:750 students at every middle school and high school to ensure appropriate enforcement of student discipline and enable continuous monitoring of bathrooms, hallways, and other areas throughout the school day;
• Installing Open Gate weapons detection technology at every middle school and high school, so this technology, which is used by the Secret Service, can prevent incidents like the one today;
• Secure entry doors to prevent unauthorized access during the school day;
• Install video cameras inside and outside of every elementary, middle, and high school;
• Accelerate the construction of security vestibules at every school; and
• Conduct a security audit of every elementary, middle, and high school.

Mateo Dunne
Mount Vernon District, Fairfax County School Board

Ilryong Moon
At-Large, Fairfax County School Board

Ryan McElveen
At-Large, Fairfax County School Board

FAIRFAX, Va. — A 16-year-old boy was stabbed at a Virginia high school Wednesday morning, Fairfax County Police said. Now, school officials say students will be screened for weapons before classes on Thursday. 

During a fight between three students, a 15-year-old stabbed a 16-year-old inside West Potomac High School at 9:40 a.m., police said. A student resource officer was on the scene within seconds, Police Chief Kevin Davis said. 

Emergency medical services responded to the school at 9:50 a.m. for a report of a stabbing. When they arrived, they found the teenager with multiple stab wounds. Authorities said his injuries were life-threatening, but he was brought to a nearby hospital and his injuries have been downgraded to stable.

A spokesperson for Fairfax County Police confirmed a 15-year-old boy is in custody for the stabbing. The student is facing charges of malicious wounding. The third student involved is being interviewed, but police say they are not charging them at this time. No other suspects are outstanding, police said.

Superintendent Michelle Reid said students would not be released early. They were in a modified lunch program for the rest of the day, where staff are able to monitor them closely and students can have access to counseling services if needed. 

At a press conference, parents questioned why they aren’t allowing parents to pick up students at this time. The school system sent out an email to families saying West Potomac is in a “Stay Put, Stay Tuned” safety protocol. Typically, in this protocol, parents and guardians are allowed to pick up their students with proper identification, but at this time, they are not releasing any students. Reid said they are not releasing children to parents until the crime scene has been cleared. 

“Constant text messages from my daughter, ‘Get me out of here, I’m ready to go,'” said Bill Beal, the father of a high schooler who witnessed the stabbing. “This is more of a lockdown than a ‘stay put.’ We’re still denied, I still can’t go get my daughter, and at the end of the day, I think that’s all these parents want, is to get their kids, to hug their kids.”

>WATCH the full news conference below:

Beal said the notification from the school system came 45 minutes after the incident, which he said was too late, and that they should have told parents that they would not be able to pick up their students as they typically would.

Multiple parents waiting at the school, hoping to pick up their children, said their students sent them graphic videos and pictures of the fight and stabbing.

“I get this second video, with the kid on the floor, sangrando [bleeding],” said Aellene Fernandez, a mother whose child also witnessed the stabbing.

Fernandez attended the press conference as well and said school administrators did not answer her questions. She also hasn’t been allowed to take her son out of the school. 

“We got here and we get no answers,” she added. “This is just crazy. We get videos from the kids inside, there’s videos all over social media of what happened.”

“I want to check my daughter out, why can’t I?” asked Bill Beal, whose daughter was in school that day. “Everything is unsatisfactory, from the alert that goes out to parents, that says stay put, stay tuned. Under that alert, we can, with appropriate ID, check out our children. This is a lockdown.”

However, Fairfax County’s police chief, Kevin Davis, says that although the circumstances weren’t ideal, keeping everyone in the building was the best approach to keep everyone safe.

“The last thing we want as responsible adults, whether we’re FCPD or FCPS, is to release emotional groups of students and something retaliatory in nature happens down the street this way or down the street that way,” he explained. “So it’s always a measured, calculated decision.”

In the email, Jamie Carfang, a school administrator, wrote that this is an isolated incident and has been contained. All students at the school are safe. 

The high school is on a campus called West Potomac Academy that also includes an elementary school. All students have been returned to their base schools, she wrote, and there will be no afternoon shuttles on Wednesday. She also asked that no one come to the school at this time.

In a letter to the community Wednesday night, Principal Jessica Statz said an extra layer of safety would be added to the school Thursday morning, with anyone entering the campus being screened for weapons using a weapons detection system FCPS is piloting. 

Additionally, a crisis team of psychologists and social workers will be at the school to help provide support for the rest of the week. 

“We will continue to hold the student in our thoughts as they continue to recover. We will also continue to teach our students that violence is never the way to handle conflict. We will continue to be a strong community and we will get through this together,” Statz wrote. 

On Wednesday, three school board members, including one whose district houses West Potomac High School, issued a joint statement calling for new security measures. 

Fairfax County Public Schools is widely considered one of the safest public school systems in the United States, but in light of the unacceptable act of violence at West Potomac HS, it is necessary to invest in new measures to ensure the safety and security of our students. Today the undersigned School Board Members call on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to prioritize the following security measures:

• Increase the number of School Resource Officers (SRO) to the nationally recommended ratio of 1:1000 students at every middle school and high school; and
• Ensure one or more SROs is present every day at every middle and high school; and
• Fully fund the Middle School After-School program, which was established to improve academic outcomes, develop healthy and successful youth, and combat gang violence. 

In addition, the undersigned School Board Members call on Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) to prioritize the following security measures:

• Increase the number of security assistants to 1:750 students at every middle school and high school to ensure appropriate enforcement of student discipline and enable continuous monitoring of bathrooms, hallways, and other areas throughout the school day;
• Installing Open Gate weapons detection technology at every middle school and high school, so this technology, which is used by the Secret Service, can prevent incidents like the one today;
• Secure entry doors to prevent unauthorized access during the school day;
• Install video cameras inside and outside of every elementary, middle, and high school;
• Accelerate the construction of security vestibules at every school; and
• Conduct a security audit of every elementary, middle, and high school.

Mateo Dunne
Mount Vernon District, Fairfax County School Board

Ilryong Moon
At-Large, Fairfax County School Board

Ryan McElveen
At-Large, Fairfax County School Board