ST PAUL, Minn. — Editor's note: The attached video first aired on Feb. 16, 2023.
Students are returning to Harding High School Tuesday morning after a tumultuous few weeks following the fatal stabbing of a 15-year-old classmate. New security measures have been added at several St. Paul high schools and one student-led group is planning a protest to make their voices heard about police officers being stationed in Harding and other buildings.
The new precautions, including a third School Support Liaison on the Harding security team, were prompted after student Devin Scott was stabbed on Feb. 10 on his first day at Harding. A 16-year-old classmate charged in the stabbing faces one count of second-degree unintentional murder. Along with charges, the Ramsey County Attorney's Office filed a presumptive motion to have the juvenile defender certified to be prosecuted as an adult.
On Friday, students were back in the building for the first time following the stabbing for a shortened day with time spent in advisory classes with dismissal at 1:30 p.m. There were no classes scheduled on Monday due to the President's Day holiday.
Tuesday will be the first full day of classes for students.
On Tuesday afternoon, ahead of a planning Board of Education meeting, members of MN Teen Activists, a student-led group advocating for the rights of students in Minnesota, is asking for the community's support. In an Instagram post, the organization asserts that police officers in schools "will not keep our students safe."
The post goes on to announce a rally outside of the Board of Education meeting at 360 Colborne Street in St. Paul at 5 p.m. Tuesday. Organizers said they will have buttons, stickers and signs on hand to pass out to participants.
Last Friday, St. Paul School's Superintendent Joe Gothard addressed the issue of police officers in school after the district stopped contracting with St. Paul Police to provide school resources officers in 2020.
"It gets to be a really complex thing when focusing only on SROs, but I do know that there are things, there are instances, that take place in our schools and our communities where our staff are just not equipped to deal with it," said Gothard. "It may not be SROs, and I've heard people say it's just police under another name, I understand that. What I am saying right now is that I do think they're an important part of the network for us to keep schools and communities safe."
On Feb. 17, the Board of Education published a statement on their website, reading in part:
"We recognize the pain our students are feeling at Harding and across Saint Paul. We understand there are many questions and many concerns from our community regarding school safety. Ample opportunities for public engagement will be available within the coming weeks as we work to keep our schools safe and welcoming for all of our students. For now, our focus is allowing the family of Devin Scott to grieve."
On Tuesday morning the St. Paul Public School District responded to KARE 11's request for comment on the planned protest with the following statement:
"Saint Paul Public Schools respects our students’ rights to free speech and peaceful assembly. Staff members throughout our district strive to provide students a safe place to express their opinions and talk through their feelings without fear of judgment or retaliation."
The Board of Education is taking public comment on this and other issues through 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 21. You can find the online comment form here.
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