FRUITLAND, Md. - We have learned more details regarding a 13-year-old student from Bennett Middle School who is alleged to have attacked two of the school's teachers and another student.
WBOC has learned through the Wicomico County State's Attorney of another assault on a staff member on the same day at Bennett Middle. This assault was perpetrated by a different student, and the Sheriff's Office believes they are not connected.
State's Attorney Jamie Dykes says due to stipulations of Maryland's Juvenile Restoration Act, children under the age of 13 cannot be charged in most situations. Therefore, the 12-year-old is not likely to face any charges.
Joan Smith, the President of the Wicomico Education Association and a middle school teacher, expressed her concerns regarding the situation, stating, "What makes it even more horrific is it's not the first time, it's not the last time, and we should be doing a lot more about it than has been done so far."
We asked the Superintendent and all seven members of the Board of Education for an interview. All declined, but a joint statement was released reading in part, "Pending the outcome of the investigation within the school system, disciplinary actions would be administered for any violations of the Student Code of Conduct."
The Wicomico County State's Attorney highlighted the challenges they face due to the constraints of Maryland's Juvenile Restoration Act, noting, "The tools that have been stripped from us, we're feeling the impact, that's what our community is feeling right now."
Captain Rich Wiersberg of the Wicomico County Sheriff's Office says that Bennett Middle School does employ a School Resource Officer (SRO). He says the officer was present at the school when the assaults took place.
Wiersberg said, "We have a great partnership where our SROs are in the schools. Bennett Middle would be one of the schools where a deputy is assigned and was able to respond fairly quickly and when the student got there the student listened to all the deputy's requests."
Captain Wiersberg also said the 13-year-old suspect is now under home monitoring. But the 12-year-old involved in the separate incident will not face any charges.