Counselors assist after stabbing at Coronado Middle School

CORONADO, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) -- Counselors are helping students and staff at Coronado Middle School after a stabbing on campus Tuesday that police say involved two seventh-grade students.

Investigators said a seventh-grade boy stabbed a seventh-grade girl twice with a pocket knife inside the school library. The girl was taken to Rady Children’s Hospital, where she was treated and released.

The incident prompted some parents to pick up their children early, though classes resumed as scheduled Wednesday.

“I was pretty shocked — for a community like Coronado, it’s a very safe community,” said parent Luciana Shaffer, who has two children who attend the school. “It was really scary for all the kids. There was a lot of crying, and a lot of the parents came and picked up their kids. I did too — not because I thought the school didn’t do a good job. I think they did a phenomenal job of making everybody feel safe.”

Counselors have been brought in to help students and staff process the emotional trauma.

“We have to make sure that any student feeling stress or trauma from this incident is being supported,” said Mac Hardy, director of operations at the National Association of School Resource Officers.

Hardy said middle school students often act on emotion rather than logic because their brains are still developing.

“You’re asking your kids, ‘What were you thinking?’ But the problem is they weren’t thinking at that moment,” Hardy said. “The feeling brain takes over the thinking brain because it develops quicker at that point.”

He added that adult supervision and open communication are critical after incidents like this.

“Make sure you are listening, talking to your kids and watching their behaviors,” Hardy said. “If you see a consistent change, they may be dealing with it in a way that’s not healthy.”

Shaffer said she hopes parents and students take advantage of the support available on campus.

“We have wonderful counselors here at our school,” she said. “Just being able to utilize everything the school has to offer helps the kids.”

Police said the boy was taken into custody. His name has not been released because he is a minor. Investigators have not revealed a motive for the attack.