A Chicago Public Schools official said Thursday he filed a report of the May slashing incident involving Arai Middle School students to several central school board administrators two days after it occurred.
But schools chief Paul Vallas said Thursday administrators did not read that incident report, filed by Director of Safety and Security Peter Schurla. Instead, Vallas said, his office depended upon reports of the incident from Arai Principal Anthony Scott in deciding on discipline for the attackers.
Officials said Scott’s report provided an incomplete account of the attack, naming only one of the two students charged with aggravated battery. That student was expelled by the board.
The other, the daughter of the Arai Local School Council president, was not immediately disciplined–raising concerns that she might have received preferential treatment from the school.
Both girls pleaded guilty to the attack.
Earlier this week, after a Tribune story about the situation, Vallas said he will move to expel the second girl. As a result, her mother will be forced to step down as LSC president.
Although Vallas has said he had not known about the second student, he downplayed Thursday the importance of Schurla’s report.
“We always get incident reports,” he said. “I can’t remember every specific incident report, but that’s not what we respond to. We respond to the disciplinary action taken by the school because the assumption is the school is responding appropriately.”
According to the Chicago Schools Uniform Discipline Code, the school principal is responsible for initiating the expulsion process, informing board officials and assigning appropriate disciplinary actions.
Incident reports are filed several times a week by Schurla, mainly to inform Vallas and other board officials of crimes alleged of students–especially cases involving violence.
Schurla said he sent a report to several board officials, including Vallas, on May 6 outlining the incident in which the face of 13-year-old Markeisha Stewart was severely slashed. The report included charges brought against her two assailants.
