8-year-old stabbed with box cutter at DeKalb elementary school

LITHONIA, Ga. — A third grader is recovering after another student stabbed him with a blade.

Channel 2′s Tyisha Fernandes was outside Stoneview Elementary School in DeKalb County.

When the district was budgeting money to install metal detectors, they went by the numbers. Elementary school kids are not the students bringing weapons to school, for the most part.

But, now a third grader recovering from a stab wound, and his family is asking for reconsideration.

“Metal detectors are needed in all schools from elementary all the way up to college because safety does not have an age on it,” the victim’s grandmother said.

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A third-grader was rushed to a hospital from Stoneview Elementary Thursday morning after his classmate sliced his hand with a box cutter-type blade.

Students were playing with it and a female student ended up accidentally stabbing the 8-year-old boy in the hand.

Relatives spoke to Fernandes and said the healing process has been painful for the 8-year-old.

The victim was transported to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta where he was treated and had to stay over the weekend.

“He’s still out of school today, his hand is still swollen and sore,” his grandmother said. “It’s seven inches on top of his hand and he’s gotta walk around here with this scar the rest of his life. It’s not called for,” the grandmother said.

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The district sent a letter to parents Friday letting them know what happened.

The victim’s parents are asking the district to consider installing metal detectors in every school.

“If they had those, this may not have happened, if parents had taken the initiative to check their kids before they (left) home. This knife never would’ve made it on the school bus. Parents need to be held accountable as well,” the grandmother said.

Fernandes was told this wasn’t considered something malicious where the kids were deliberately trying to hurt each other. They were playing and someone got hurt.

The code of conduct says the student could be suspended, or possibly expelled. It’s also a possibility of criminal charges.

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