Students face metal detectors a day after stabbing at Edward R. Murrow High School in Brooklyn
NEW YORK -- Metal detectors were in place Wednesday morning at Brooklyn's Edward R. Murrow High School, less than 24 hours after a 15-year-old student was stabbed and authorities confiscated dozens of dangerous items.
The victim is expected to survive, and another student was taken into custody with charges pending.
Hundreds of students lined up outside Edward R. Murrow High on Wednesday, as they were directed to a side entrance and then through the metal detectors.
"The most annoyed I will be is if they just go about their day acting like nothing happened," student Robin Manitsky said.
Students told CBS New York the school has them go through metal detectors typically two times a year.
"I've usually been stopped just for like an oval-shaped lock or my kids' scissors," said Manitsky.
Watch Zinnia Maldonado's report
CBS New York spoke with one parent who said she took Wednesday off from work, so she could walk her son to school because they were both still very nervous.
"It was nerve-wracking last night. I hope they have the metal detectors today and everything goes smoothly. Because he was scared. He wanted me to bring him also, so he's not used to this," Shameka Foster said. "They said we'll have all the support we need, like guidance counselors, so if they need somebody to talk to, they'll be there, and that the security will be up a little bit."
Police were called to the school Tuesday morning after a 15-year-old boy was stabbed in the stomach by another student during a fight in the hallway. The suspect ran from the school, but was later taken into custody.
The school remained on lockdown for hours, as family members frantically waited for their children to be dismissed.
A floor-by-floor search resulted in 25 dangerous items being confiscated by the New York City Safety Coalition, including 13 knives, seven pepper spray canisters, two stun guns, and one box cutter.
According to the Department of Education, the school is a non-scanning school, meaning there are no metal detectors. Foster said the school hasn't told parents whether that will change moving forward.
"I don't feel so safe. I think it's something that needs to be done every day," she said.
"I'm saying 'yes' to anything that's going to keep our kids safe," added parent Quiann Simpkins. "For those who say 'nay,' you say nay now because you feel that it looks unfavorable, but what happens when it's your child that's at the end of the knife?"
There is a shortage of school safety officers in the city, and Mayor Eric Adams recently reinstated this year's class in the budget.
"We'll continue to look at ways of having non-intrusive scanners, because we have a balance of protecting our children without damaging that they're feeling as though we're turning into some form of jail-type atmosphere," said Adams.
The president of the school safety agents' union told CBS New York administrators were warned students were bringing weapons to class, but preventative action was not taken.
Violence at other New York City schools
Police say a loaded .22 caliber gun was found on a 16-year-old student at Freedom High School on Wednesday after another student alerted the administration.
"What was he planning to do with that gun? Why did he bring it?" CBS New York's Carolyn Gusoff asked.
"We don't know. That's under investigation," said Charlie Cotto, deputy director of law enforcement for Local 237, the union representing school safety agents.
He notes Freedom is a non-scanning school, meaning no metal detectors installed.
"Non-scanning school with three agents," Cotto said.
The union has been complaining that schools should be staffed with more agents, saying it's working with 2,000 fewer since the pandemic.
Not far from Freedom, at I.S. 123 in the Soundview section of the Bronx, police said a 14-year-old girl slashed a 12-year-old girl with a large kitchen knife. Police sources say they had been arguing over a boy on social media.
Two school safety agents were on duty. I.S. 123 is also a non-scanning school.
The New York City Department of Education said in part, "The building was placed on a hold, the school is being scanned and students are safe."
Police say the 12-year-old girl suffered a puncture wound and will survive.
"We want surveys done for each school to see if those schools need metal detectors," said Gregory Floyd, president of the union representing school safety agents. "We don't want to hear how they're gonna criminalize your children. No, we want to protect the children. We wanna protect them from every weapon coming in the schools."
Parents and guardians are being urged to speak with their children to find out not only what's going on with them, but students around them.
