The Coronado Unified School District is planning a community forum to discuss safety and communication after a seventh grader was stabbed at the Coronado Middle School library on Tuesday. The event will take place on Thursday, October 30 from 4:30 to 6pm at the Coronado Performing Arts Center at 650 D Avenue.
The event represents an opportunity to “share information about how the district approaches safety, communication and emergency response,” said Superintendent Karl Mueller in an email to parents on October 17.
At Thursday’s school board meeting, trustees addressed the stabbing incident, calling it “horrific” and “traumatic.”
“We are incredibly grateful that the student did not sustain a life-threatening injury and is now recovering at home,” said Alexia Palacios-Peters, school board president.
She encouraged community members to attend the forum to learn more about the district’s communication and approach to safety and crisis management.
In his remarks, Mueller thanked the school counselors who lent support to CMS students who were affected by the event. He said after the incident, students were visited by administrators to assure them that they were safe, that their parents had been notified and they would try to finish the day together.
“They were scared,” said Mueller. “It was very real.”
He said there was a list of students who wanted to talk counselors, so the district sent additional counselors from the high school to lend support. He said all the students seeking help got checked in, and that they were in good care while they were waiting to be seen.
Mueller said the incident reminded him of the resilience of the students, staff and community members.
“And I was reminded that we are humans,” said Mueller. “[The students] are younger humans, they’re little humans, but they’re developing, and all humans can get dysregulated and can become unpredictable. It’s a good reminder for all of us.”
He also thanked CMS administration and staff who cooperated with the Coronado Police Department and supported the efforts of the detectives on site.
Mueller said the district needs to do a better job when it comes to promoting and encouraging the use of resources available to students and staff — in particular, the program called “We Tip,” a confidential reporting mechanism allowing students to share concerns about peers or behaviors. According to Mueller, it’s a direct line to the district administration and staff.
“We need to do a better job supporting our kids and encouraging them to trust the voice in their head if they sense something is off with one of their peers,” said Mueller. “To reach out to an adult, and bring that to our attention so we can provide critical supports.”
The CHS Associated Student Body President Haissam Kouli said the incident was “deeply upsetting” and called upon parents to check in with their kids.
“Having difficult, insightful and meaningful conversations with our children and consistently checking in to see how they are doing and what’s going on around them is critical,” he said. “Check in on students…recognize when it’s time for you to step in and take precautionary measures.”
Trustee Scot Youngblood noted that CUSD offers many supports for kids in the middle school, and that the counselor to student ratio is one of the highest in the county. He shared that CMS focuses on team building and conflict resolution, and that the school has clubs to foster and model good behavior. CMS also has a school resource officer, and several confidential ways for students to share concerns about their peers.
Yet, he said that, “Kids are so emotionally and mentally unwell, probably more so than any prior generation,” he said.
Youngblood said the incident was a “marker of our society” and called upon community members to consider things like diet, medication, impacts of puberty, as well as social media and the internet.
Trustee Renee Cavanaugh said she’s looking forward to the community forum and how to improve the safety of all students in the district. She shared that the incident had disrupted the “peace of mind” of parents and kids in the community.
“You see it happen in other places,” said Cavanaugh. “You don’t think it’s going to happen where you live and where your kids go to school.”
