DETROIT – Parents with children attending Gompers Elementary-Middle School said they are planning to press Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) administrators for answers after a violent stabbing on the campus that left one student arrested along with her mother and another student with multiple injuries.
According to parents and a statement from the district, the injured child was reportedly stabbed multiple times after arriving on campus.
She was allegedly attacked by a student who had returned to school following an earlier altercation. The district says the arrested parent passed a small knife to her child after entering the building.
“It’s the school’s fault,” said Lisa Barnett, a grandparent of two students at Gompers. “Why did that woman get through the metal detectors with a knife? What if it would have been a gun? That situation could have gotten really ugly, really quick.”
DPSCD said the school’s metal detector sounded when the arrested parent entered, but a security guard failed to perform a search.
The district says that the guard has since been removed from the Detroit campus.
DPSCD has not provided additional details in response to requests for interviews about school security protocols or about the virtual meeting with parents.
Parents say delayed notification compounded fears.
Several parents expressed anger that they were not notified about the incident until the following morning.
Barnett said she learned about the stabbing only when she brought her grandchildren to school the next day and was told the building was closed; she said school officials did not initially explain why.
“We want to know why my daughter wasn’t notified yesterday morning when this situation happened,” Barnett said. “My grandkids were in school all day yesterday. We want to know why we had to find out the next day that a little girl was stabbed at the school.”
Parents are calling for accountability, clearer communication, and improved security measures to prevent another breach that could lead to more serious violence.
Sources say a virtual meeting with families has been scheduled for Thursday night to address concerns.
Several parents expressed disappointment that the session is being held online rather than in person, as they believe an in-person meeting would allow families to press for answers and hold administrators accountable more effectively.
Beyond the district’s brief statement about the alleged security lapse and the removal of the guard, DPSCD has not responded to requests for a more detailed interview about the incident, the timeline of events, or the district’s current and planned security protocols.
It was not immediately clear whether any additional charges had been filed or if the injured student’s condition had changed.
Parents and community members said they will continue to demand clarity and stronger protections for students as the district investigates the incident.