Parents and advocates press Clayton County school board over Forest Park Middle School stabbing, delayed EMS response

Charerelle Guerell, a community member, urged the Clayton County Board of Education on Monday to address what she described as a preventable safety failure after a student was stabbed at Forest Park Middle School. "Why was it possible for a student to gain access to the school building via a side door that should have been secured?" Guerell asked, and she pressed the board on why it took "almost 45 minutes" for emergency services to arrive.

Nancy Howard, another resident who said she had been contacted by parents of the injured student, told the board the child had been stabbed twice and said she wanted answers about how the aggressor brought a knife into the school, why no SRO was on site, and why the reported delay in medical assistance occurred. "If we know that SRO is on leave, we should make proper arrangements to have a replacement," Howard said. She also criticized comments she said a district staffer made to the mother — "schools are not Walmarts" — calling that response "unprofessional and unsympathetic."

A mother who identified herself through an interpreter as the parent of the injured student, whom the transcript names as Isa, said the incident occurred on Jan. 15 and that she learned of it when her 13-year-old child called. She said her son, who she indicated has epilepsy and an IEP requiring supervision, was left traumatized after witnessing the attack and that the family received no prompt direct notification. "In the 40 minutes that I had to wait for the ambulance," the mother said, "I do see my time is up and I do appreciate you guys and I do want to give you guys also the time to give me a response back."

Interim Superintendent Dr. Douglas Hendricks responded during public comment that the district hears the community's concerns and pledged to "look into this matter" and ensure procedures were followed. "School should be a very safe place for every child," Hendricks said. He added that the district will amend procedures if a review shows changes are necessary and that staff would follow up with the family.

Board Chair Benjamin Strager acknowledged the comments and requested that board members pull up the relevant policy for discussion. No formal policy change or disciplinary action was announced at the meeting; board members said the matter would be reviewed and that any necessary amendments would be made after the investigation.

Why it matters: public safety and emergency protocols at schools determine how quickly injured students receive care and how families are notified. Commenters at the meeting asked the board to clarify whether district policy limits who may call emergency services, whether replacements are arranged when SROs are absent, and how school entry points are secured.

What the transcript shows and does not: speakers repeatedly raised a 40–45 minute delay before emergency medical services arrived and said an SRO was not immediately available; the transcript contains multiple public requests that the board review policy. The district said it will investigate; it did not announce specific new policies, a timeline for the review, nor whether the district or school would communicate interim measures to families.

Next steps: Board members asked staff to pull the relevant policy for discussion; the superintendent said the district will look into the incident and amend procedures "if we find that, we will amend." The board did not vote on any policy revisions at the meeting.

Quotes: "Parents should be able to send their students to school and be able to leave them safely in the school district's care," Charerelle Guerell told the board. "We drop our children off every single day and we rely on CCPS to take care of their safety," Nancy Howard said.

The board moved on to its scheduled business after public comment; no executive action relating to the stabbing was reported in the public session minutes included in the transcript.