A Georgia school district is facing a lawsuit filed by a mother whose eighth-grade daughter was brutally stabbed 14 times in a school gymnasium last spring. The mother, Ashley Wilson, alleges that the district failed to prevent the attack, despite being alerted by a school resource officer about a potential knife threat.
Wilson’s daughter was reportedly attacked shortly after arriving at school. On her way to gym class, she was confronted by a group of students, one of whom was armed with a knife. Wilson alleges that teachers observed the harassment but did not intervene. A 13-year-old boy ultimately stepped in to protect her daughter.
Andrew Gold, the attorney representing Wilson, stated that the school administrators had been notified multiple times about the presence of a knife on campus. On March 14, a police officer reported the knife threat, but the school failed to take any action to investigate the threat or inform parents.
The following day, the same student was reported to be in possession of a knife again, but the school still failed to act. This inaction resulted in the stabbing of Wilson’s daughter. Gold emphasized that the school’s policies required immediate investigation and communication with parents, neither of which occurred.
The incident took place in Henry County, Georgia, a community that has been deeply affected by the event. The superintendent of schools had previously stated that student safety is the district’s top priority. However, the lawsuit alleges that this responsibility was not fulfilled in this case.
Gold further explained that the school’s handbook outlined specific protocols for handling such threats. These protocols included alerting parents and conducting searches, but none of these procedures were followed. Surveillance footage later revealed that the student had brought the weapon on campus for a week before the attack.
Wilson’s daughter has faced a challenging recovery, including plastic surgery and homeschooling. The family continues to grapple with the aftermath of the incident, seeking justice and advocating for changes to prevent similar incidents in the future.