Chamberlain Girl Hurt During Scuffle
TAMPA — Honors algebra class isn’t what it used to be.
A Chamberlain High School algebra honors student cut herself while pulling a pocketknife on a fellow algebra honors student Friday, according to a school spokeswoman.
The freshman, whose name is not being released by the school district, has been charged with assault with a deadly weapon, battery and disruption of a school function. She was taken by a school resource officer to see whether stitches were needed and was to be taken to the Juvenile Assessment Center, according to Linda Cobbe, spokeswoman for the Hillsborough County School District.
The incident started after one girl was teasing another by throwing pencils at her, Cobbe said. That girl pulled a small pocketknife out of a third girl’s backpack and put it in her bra. The girl who was doing the teasing started pulling the hair of the girl who took the knife. The girl who took the knife then pulled it out, cutting herself while doing so, Cobbe said.
A teacher attempted to break up the disturbance and was scraped by the knife, but it didn’t draw blood, according to Tampa police spokeswoman Laura McElroy.
The girl who did the hair pulling was given a civil citation, which is an alternative to the Juvenile Assessment Center at which students are given community service, Cobbe said.
The girl who had the knife will be disciplined, according to Cobbe, who said there is an automatic 10-day suspension for possessing a weapon on school grounds. She said it’s not a crime to possess a small pocketknife, so there will be no criminal charges, but the student also faces possible suspension or placement in an alternative school.
The rest of the class was taken to meet with counselors, Cobbe said.
Principal Jeff Boldt sent a letter home to parents informing them of the incident and offering to answer questions.
Brenda Rouse, president of the Parent-Teacher-Student Association, called the incident “especially unfortunate when a student is injured, and all of the other consequences that come from one moment of madness.”
Reporter Elaine Silvestrini contributed to this report.
