PERTH AMBOY, N.J. (1010 WINS) — Roughly 700 Perth Amboy High School students left class Monday and marched to the Samuel Shull Middle School to voice their dismay after an 11-year-old was stabbed by a classmate on his way home from school last week.
One student said they "need to be the change" for the younger generation, adding that kids shouldn't "have to deal" with a stabbing.
"An 11-year-old was stabbed," she continued. "That's something we don't take lightly. That's like our sibling. This is our fight."
The alleged stabber is also an 11-year-old boy. He is charged with juvenile delinquency crimes and is being held at the Middlesex County Juvenile Detention Center.
One parent said they would like the school district to do more to combat violence.
"I know a lot of the children in this neighborhood," she said. "They are our children. They are our babies and I'm here to support them in anything that they need."
Another student said violence has been an issue in school as well.
"I don't feel safe at all," he said. "We've been telling them for ages that we need new security guards, we need new protection, we need metal detectors and nothing is ever done. We bring it up to a board meeting, and they just always shut us down."
Police and school officials escorted the protesting students to ensure their safety. The district said it is committed to listening to everyone's concerns.
Perth Amboy Mayor Caba Mayor said in a statement that his office "remains focused on implementing all measures necessary for our students and faculty to feel safe that will prevent this from ever happening again."
"We are making our police resources and programs available to the district, such as providing additional officers around the schools at the start of the school day and dismissal," he added.
Caba also mentioned a number of services that his office is working with the Perth Amboy Board of Education to implement, ranging from the recent approval of their DARE, or Drug Abuse Resistance Education, program to increasing safety and security in and around schools.
"The more opportunities we provide to interact with our youth, as we presently do through our community outreach and teen center programs, the more our community strengthens," the mayor said.
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