ST PAUL, Minn. — Friday morning students at Harding High School on St. Paul's East Side will be back in class for the first time since a 15-year-old classmate was fatally stabbed one week ago.
Devin Scott was in his first day of classes at Harding on Feb. 10 when officials said a staff member told police they witnessed a fight between two students and saw the defendant stab Scott. The staffer said he told Scott to go to the nurses' office, but that the victim said he was dizzy and then collapsed.
Scott was rushed to Regions Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Leaders in the St. Paul Public School District announced earlier this week that there will be increased security at several high schools in the near future, including Harding. Counselors, social workers and mental health experts will be standing by to support students and staff.
The following security routines for Harding were announced by SPPS on Thursday:
- Students who are late must enter through the main entrance where they will receive a pass. Students then have five minutes to get to class.
- There will be increased hallway supervision during class
- Students will only be allowed in the hallways during class time with a chaperone.
- Students will be escorted to the bathroom and bathrooms will be supervised.
- Cell phones should not be used and need to stay put away during class time
“I do know, there are students that are just wanting to get back to learning, to the stability, to the predictability that schools should offer,” said Kathy Kimani, the SPPS director for the office of school support. “And then there are students that are really afraid. They don't feel safe at school.”
Around 15 to 20 members will make up this crisis response team, in addition to a third School Support Liaison on the Harding security team. Two officers from the St. Paul police force round out the campus team, even though the district hasn't had an official partnership with city police since the St. Paul School's Board of Education voted to remove school resource officers from campus in 2020.
Kimani told KARE 11 the district is hoping to ease students back with most of Friday spent in advisory classes. She said there will be conversations within classrooms about what to expect. If students feel uneasy or want to have a conversation, Kimani and a team will be ready.
Social worker Michelle Keleny said there will also be community members on the first day back to respond to students in culturally appropriate ways.
Keleny along with John Eschenbacher, the district’s lead high school counselor, has been at Harding this week.
They have spent much of their time connecting with staff, including a debrief with educators who witnessed what happened on Friday. The team says part of their healing process will involve being back with students.
The 16-year-old student charged in the incident that sparked these security changes 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. A judge will rule on that motion at a future court hearing.
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