Pella police are investigating a stabbing that happened in the middle school cafeteria before the start of the school day.
According to Capt. Paul Haase of the Pella Police Department, a 14-year-old was jailed after reportedly attacking two female classmates with a knife. According to Haase, the pupils sustained minor injuries and were not brought to the hospital.
A fight appears to have broken out in the cafeteria before school began, according to Superintendent Greg Ebeling. He characterized the weapon as a kitchen knife, which authorities suspect the teenager carried from home.
Ebeling stated that the ladies’ wrestling coach was able to persuade the kid to leave the school and commended her for promptly defusing the situation.
Police Chief Shane McSheehy stated that they are investigating what caused the altercation and intend to seek warrants to learn more about the student’s hours or days before the incident. According to McSheehy, the kid was charged with assault causing bodily injury in February after allegedly assaulting a school counselor.
The incident occurred around 7:40 a.m. Wednesday at Pella Middle School, 613 E. 13th St., which serves seventh and eighth graders. Although school was not canceled, the majority of parents chose to keep their children at home for the day, according to Ebeling.
He stated that parents received a notification “pretty much immediately” following the occurrence. Several further reports were issued shortly thereafter.
Ebeling stated that while the school does not have metal detectors, incidents like these cause officials to reassess school safety measures.
When the altercation occurred, some kids went across the street to Third Church, 708 E. 13th St., because the classrooms had not yet opened, according to Ebeling.
On Wednesday afternoon, church staff gathered outside the middle school to pray over it.
“We got a group of our staff to pray outside the school for the safety of the kids,” head pastor Darin Wogen stated. “We’ve opened up the church for families and kids throughout the day and evening if they need somebody to talk to or listen.”
They prayed that pupils would be free of anxiety, fear, and other bad emotions following the tragedy, Wogen said.
“It’s unfortunate,” Wogen explained. “I guess we often see that in the news, and you never think it will happen here; we didn’t expect to be outside the school today. But we are sending our thoughts and prayers to everyone concerned. It’s not something we expected to happen here in Pella.
Pella is located in Marion County, approximately 50 miles southeast of Des Moines.
