Classes canceled Friday, extra counseling set for next week at Foss High School
School is canceled at Foss High School on Friday, May 1, after a stabbing incident Thursday sent six people to the hospital.
School will resume as scheduled on Monday, May 4, and counselors and additional staff will be available to support students and staff, according to Tacoma School District spokesperson Tanisha Jumper. Foss went into a lockdown at 1:38 p.m. Thursday after reports of the stabbing, and students were dismissed from school per the usual bell schedule at 2:45 p.m., Jumper told The News Tribune.
As of 4:03 p.m. on Thursday, all victims were in stable condition, The News Tribune reported. One of the victims is a security guard and the suspect is a student, according to Tacoma Police Department spokesperson Shelbie Boyd.
Five students and one staff member were injured in the stabbing, and Tacoma Police Department has someone in custody, Jumper said.
“We are grateful for the quick, calm action of our staff and our first responders,” she wrote in a statement. “This incident is still under investigation and discipline has not yet been determined.”
The district contacted all families at Foss after the incident at 2:15 p.m. to announce the lockdown, explain an alternate pick-up location and ask that families don’t enter the building or call the school. The district contacted Foss families and staff again at 3:40 p.m. to explain more what happened and to announce that school is canceled on Friday. It also contacted families of students who were involved in the incident, Jumper said.
“We don’t know what caused the incident, any of that type of stuff, and so that’s why there’s not a lot in statements because there’s not a lot to say until we know more,” Jumper told The News Tribune in an interview. “TPD is still at the building, and they’re still actively investigating.”
