Students lacerated at Pella Middle School

A small group of Pella students were hanging out in the middle school cafeteria before
school started Wednesday morning before an incident occurred involving a fellow
student with a knife.

At a press conference Wednesday morning, Police Chief Shane McSheehy stated the
police were called to the middle school at 7:41 a.m. Officers quickly responded to the
scene and had the suspect juvenile in custody and the area secured within two minutes.
The suspect is a 14-year-old who allegedly carried a kitchen knife, similar to a bread
knife. A teacher had reportedly been able to calm the suspect down, but not before two
female students had been lacerated.

Pella Community Ambulance responded and treated those who were cut. The students’
injuries did not require transport via ambulance to the hospital.

Pella Schools Superintendent Greg Ebeling said it was a “random group of kids” that
were at the school at that time of day. Most buses did not arrive that early, and there
were around 25 students in the cafeteria at the time.

Ebeling said the district has good video but was not at liberty to disclose many details
about the suspect’s interaction with the victims. He said the suspect was not sitting at
the table, stroking the knife and the incident “just happened.”

No one at the press conference was aware of any motivation behind the incident. Police
plan to continue the investigation and past interactions among the students involved to
learn more.

“We want to be careful in our deliberation and what the actual incident was,” McSheehy
said. Marion County Attorney Jared Harmon had been contacted about what potential
charges should be filed.

McSheehy said the student suspect is an individual with whom they had contact in
February, when the suspect assaulted a counselor. Ebeling did not recall any expulsion
of the student at the time, but a suspension was likely.

Students led an effort to take their classmates, who witnessed the ordeal, to Third
Church for a safe place. Crisis service dogs Walter and Nitro were on hand to help the
students calm down.

At the time of the press conference, Ebeling estimated there were less than 100
students left at the middle school, which had gone on lockdown. Parents had been
notified by the district’s Blackboard communication system. Many students had gone
home with their parents.

Classes were scheduled to be held as usual on Thursday. There were also no changes
to plans to run pep buses for students to the UNI-Dome that night for the high school
football championship game. Each bus would have chaperones.

Ebeling believes it was important to return to academic pursuits after Wednesday. The
district planned to have its own counselors, with assistance from the Area Education
Association, the local faith community and others to help students and families process
what happened.

The school district has invested heavily in building safety, as well as mental health in
recent years. Students are encouraged to say something if they see something, and the
district may explore more safety precautions in addition to the cameras, School
Resource Officer and everything else.

Ebeling was asked about metal detectors, which the buildings do not have. If those
were installed, that would require someone to be at all entrances where the detectors
are located and other investments of resources. The school district has been working
for months to find ways to reduce expenditures overall.

Things a district can do to protect its students and staff have limitations.

“Certainly, we’re always vulnerable,” Ebeling said. “I mean, I feel that schools are
always vulnerable. We’re soft targets and that’s why you see nationally that schools are
just a soft target.”

The school board and administration have discussed how to address behavioral issues
at its buildings in the past. Aggression occurs occasionally.

The investigation is ongoing. The suspect was in custody and was being interviewed by
officers with his/her parents at the time of the press conference.

Additional agencies that responded included the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and
Marion County Emergency Management. The Express will follow-up on this incident as
more information becomes available.