The 17-year-old St. Croix Central High School student who attacked a staff member earlier this month has been expelled from the territorial public school system.
Insular Superintendent Terrence Joseph said Tuesday that the boy, whose name hasn’t been released, will not be allowed to return to regular school sessions, night or adult classes. The decision was made by education officials after a due process hearing involving the youth and his parents.
On March 16 the boy was suspended from school for disciplinary reasons. Later that day he returned to the campus with a friend and physically attacked a staff member in the registrar’s office. Because of the attack, all classes at the school were cancelled the following day.
Joseph called the attack a "wanton act of violence" that had to be addressed sternly.
"We had to send a message that this will not be condoned," he said. "He has no business in our school system."
The fate of the other youth who participated in the broomstick attack on the staffer will be determined when his parents return from off-island, Joseph said.
Meanwhile, Joseph said that the vast majority of students "do the right thing."
"We have a small element of students . . . who think they have to be as bold and violent as possible," Joseph said. "We have to make sure they’re not the priority" over the other students.
The victim of the attack was injured but didn’t sustain life-threatening injuries.
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