Zachary Police officers responded to a stabbing at the Zachary High school basketball gym on Thursday, Nov. 4th around 9:30pm. Police report that one student was stabbed multiple times and transported to a hospital in serious condition. The victim told officers that a fellow student stabbed him in front of the gym.
Because the stabbing involves underage students, names cannot be released, but the suspect was arrested and booked into the Juvenile Detention Center. He’s charged with attempted second degree murder and carrying a firearm or dangerous weapon by a student or nonstudent on school property at a school-sponsored functions or firearm-free zone.
Zachary High School parents are demanding answers and want a solution to the ongoing violent incidents occurring on campus.
For the past week, numerous parents have been reaching out to Unfiltered with Kiran on the basis of anonymity. According to the parents, after the football game Thursday night, as students were heading to the gym for what they called Midnight Madness, a fight broke out outside of the gym that led to the stabbing.
Several parents said they are afraid to send their children to school and the kids are afraid to attend. In fact, after Thursday night’s stabbing, we’re told many of the students decided to stay home fearing some type of retaliation.
These concerned parents said they have reached out to the school administration and the school board but have not been given a satisfactory answer to the continued violence on the school campus. Some parents feel like the lack of communication and transparency from the school is hindering their ability to make decisions about their children’s safety.
“We need to know what the school plans to do about the daily outbreak of fights that keep happening on school property. My kids don’t feel safe at school and no one is doing anything about it,” said a parent.
“My child wants to go to another school because the fighting happens almost every day and she doesn’t feel safe walking the halls or going to eat in the lunchroom,” said another parent.
Unfiltered with Kiran has reached out to Zachary Superintendent Scott Devillier and Zachary High School Principal Tim Jordan. We are still waiting for their response.
Multiple videos of fist fights on campus between Zachary High School students have surfaced on social media. The ZHS parents tell us not only have they seen the videos themselves, but their children come home from school telling them about the nearly daily fights on campus. Parents want to know why the students who continue to be involved in these fights are allowed to remain at the school.
Zachary PD said they do have a school resource officer assigned to work at the Zachary High School, specifically at the 9th grade academy. However, at the request of the Zachary School Board, the police department is now providing an additional officer who works at the school as a detail.
Representatives from the school board asked the police department for another resource officer due to an increase in fights on campus. Until the department can provide another school resource officer, Zachary Police Chief David McDavid said he’s providing an officer to work at the school as an extra detail.
McDavid said he does have another officer trained to be a school resource officer but that takes one more officer out of the mix with uniform patrol. McDavid said his priority has to be serving the public and just like every police department across the country right now, Zachary Police is also short on officers.
According to the Zachary High School student handbook, there is a zero tolerance policy for fighting and the consequences are suspension and possible expulsion. Some of the parents insist this is not the case at ZHS and they want the administration to answer for that. They’re also questioning why have a policy in place if the school will not adhere to it.
A school board meeting is set for November 9, 2021 at 7:00 pm at the Zachary Community School Board Office at 3755 Church Street. That meeting is open to the public. Some of the parents who spoke to Unfiltered with Kiran said they plan to attend the meeting and bring up the near daily fights.
One parent said, “I want the parents to start standing up and speaking out about what is happening at Zachary High School and demand a change in the administration at the school.”
This is an ongoing investigation & Unfiltered with Kiran will continue to update as we get more from officials and concerned parents.
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