Knife Discovered Last Week In Fifth-Grade Classroom At Intermediate School
Jason Graziadei •
Nantucket Intermediate School administrators alerted parents on Tuesday regarding "a weapon" that was found at the school inside one of the fifth-grade classrooms.
In a message sent to parents, the type of weapon was not specified, nor the circumstances by which it came to be inside the school.
Several sources with knowledge of the incident, however, told the Current this week that the weapon was a large kitchen knife found inside a boy's desk. They said that the boy who brought it into the school threatened a female classmate, and additionally had a "list" of other students who he intended to target.
The incident occurred at school on Monday, March 25th. Principal Becky Janda wrote an email to parents addressing the situation eight days later on Tuesday, April 2nd, following the conclusion of the school day.
Janda stated the incident "was addressed immediately by the administration and the Nantucket Police Department. This was brought to light by some students who followed through on the 'See Something, Say Something' philosophy. We are proud of those students and have been offering support as needed. Families of the classroom were contacted and a full investigation ensued. In the course of the investigation, additional information has come to light and again the families of those impacted have been contacted."
It's unclear if the boy remains enrolled at the school. Superintendent Beth Hallett said she was unable to discuss the specifics of the incident or detail the actions taken by the school administration in the aftermath.
In her message to parents, Janda stated the incident was isolated to the fifth-grade class and that "all steps, disciplinary and otherwise, have been taken to keep our NIS students safe and we will continue to work together with the Nantucket Police Department as we move forward."
The Nantucket Intermediate School, which opened in 2016, serves third-grade, fourth-grade, and fifth-grade students in the island's public school system. Its current enrollment is 340 students.