HUDSON—The Hudson Junior-Senior High School went into shelter-in-place for about 2 hours at about 10:30 the morning of March 29, because of a fight and a knife. Jacob Hromada, student representative to the Hudson City School District Board of Education, summarized the incident at the board’s meeting April 5.
A “brawl” erupted between two students in a classroom, and the fight spilled over into the hallway, Mr. Hromada recalled. “I was right in the hall when it happened. It was really scary.”
While a student was being restrained by School Resource Deputy Brian McSween, a pocket knife fell out of the student’s pocket. The initial investigation revealed that “at no time was the pocket knife purposefully or threateningly pulled on any individuals,” Superintendent Lisamarie Spindler made clear in a March 29 message to parents and guardians.
Still, the knife was confiscated, and the building went into shelter-in-place mode “to keep hallways and common areas clear while the situation was addressed,” Dr. Spindler reported. “Additional law enforcement officers arrived at the school to assist the investigation” and to determine when it was safe to resume the normal school day. Dr. Spindler acknowledged the process took longer than expected due to waiting for the student’s parent to arrive.
Until then, everybody had to go to the nearest classroom and sit there until the situation ended, Mr. Hromada reported. “It was the right thing to do, but it put a lot of fear into everybody,” he said. “They thought it involved more than a pocket knife,” he added. He also mentioned recent violence at schools nationwide.
“Please reinforce with your child(ren) that weapons of any kind are strictly prohibited, and students who bring weapons to school, even if by accident, are subject to disciplinary measures at school and possibly even legal consequences,” Dr. Spindler stated in her message. “The safety of our students and staff is of the utmost importance. We are grateful for the quick actions of HHS administrators and Deputy McSween to ensure the safety of our school community and return to regular school activities.”
Dr. Spindler also shared that the district is looking into ways to prevent similar situations in the future, such as camera upgrades and a mobile app that would allow students to immediately and anonymously report possible threats.
