BOSTON — New details about the attack that seriously injured a Boston high school principal and injured another staff member were revealed Thursday after the woman's family gave an update on her condition.
Patricia Lampron, principal of the Dr. William W. Henderson K–12 Inclusion School in Dorchester, was released from the hospital a day after Wednesday's attack, according to her family.
"She will need time and support to recovery from her injuries," the family said earlier Thursday.
Boston Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius addressed the incident Thursday, saying school will be canceled again Friday at Henderson as staff consult with teachers and families about how to safely reopen.
"Boston Public Schools does not tolerate violence, we do not tolerate any of these kinds of acts. I am so concerned and was immediately concerned for the welfare of Principal Lampron and the whole school community," Cassellius said.
A police report obtained Thursday offered new details into what happened, including that a school safety officer who helped restrain the student told police that Lampron was "completely knocked out" for at least four minutes and that when she came to, she didn't know where she was and cried uncontrollably.
The report said that the same school safety officer and other witnesses saw the principal being punched and having her hair pulled by the student. The student, a minor, has not been publicly identified.
The student admitted to hitting Lampron, according to the police report, and said that she got mad because school staff wouldn't stop following her.
Sources told NBC10 Boston that the student charged in the attack was involved in another fight last month and that, since then, a parent has been making threats against the principal.
Asked about that, Cassellius said she couldn't speak to the specifics amid an ongoing investigation. Nor could she discuss what happened in the incident or any potential discipline for the student -- though the latter will follow the district's code of conduct.
Lampron and another unidentified staff member were attacked Wednesday at dismissal at the Henderson Upper Campus, authorities have said. A 16-year-old girl was arrested on scene and appeared in Dorchester Juvenile Court Thursday on charges of assault and battery on a person over 60, assault and battery causing serious injury, and two counts of assault and battery on a public employee.
A judge set bail at $5,000 and, upon release, ordered the student to remain under home confinement. She was told to stay away from the school and not contact the victim, Suffolk County prosecutors said.
"Everyone deserves to be safe in their workplace, no matter what type of environment their workplace may be," District Attorney Rachael Rollins said in a statement.
The school was closed on Thursday in the wake of the incident. Counselors were being made available for students and families on Friday, and nonprofits were being asked to make space for students who needed a place to be during the day, Cassellius said.
In a statement, Lampron's family discussed her passion for the school, its students and the community, and said they expect an investigation into what happened so students and staff at Henderson will remain safe.
"She wants everyone to know that there is NO place for violence in our schools," the statement said.
Some parents didn't get the news that school was canceled until they arrived Thursday, and were horrified to hear about what happened.
"Unbelievable," said Michael McCusker, who has a ninth-grader at Henderson. "She's such a nice person.
The news almost brought him to tears: "Anything I ever asked her, she'd do in a minute. She's the nicest lady I ever met, really. She's really nice I don't know how anyone could have hurt her."
Asked about the stress students are experiencing as they return to schools after more than a year disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, Cassellius said she and other education officials across the country were expecting it, and that Boston Public Schools added resources.
"Our families are struggling, our children are struggling," she said. "I'm a mother -- my own child has had difficulty with the pandemic and I think that it is just a really hard, trying time for all of us, and all we can do is continue to put our best foot forward and continue to be there for our students and for our faculty and our staff and our families."
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