The complaint alleges that years of decay in the district’s safety infrastructure made a violent classroom attack predictable — not extraordinary.
The Schenk Law Firm filed suit in San Diego Superior Court on behalf of a teenage student who was stabbed repeatedly during her first-period class at San Ysidro High School. The complaint,reported by the San Diego Union-Tribune, names the Sweetwater Union High School District for negligence, breach of duty, and a dangerous condition of public property. The suit also names the alleged assailant — a fellow student who was a minor at the time — and his parents, for assault and battery and for negligent supervision.
As the Union-Tribune reports, the complaint describes a stranger-like attack inside an open classroom. A figure dressed in all black, his face wrapped in bandages, walked past the propped-open door — propped open because the school’s air conditioning was broken — and circled back twice. On the third pass, the suit alleges, he rushed in, put the 16-year-old in a chokehold from behind, and attacked her — head, face, neck, and chest — “while her classmates screamed for help that was nowhere to be found.” Eight seconds later, the suit alleges, he stopped, “calmly walked off, changed clothes and blended back into the student population.”
It took police nearly two hours to locate him.
Speaking to the Union-Tribune, partner Benjamin Schenk, who represents the family, said the student was “physically, mentally and emotionally injured. Thankfully, she has an amazing, supportive family and community who are committed to her healing, but it’s a long road.”
The matter has been filed pseudonymously to protect the student’s identity.
Read the San Diego Union-Tribune’s full report: Teen girl stabbed in class at San Ysidro High sues school district, ex-boyfriend
About The Schenk Law Firm
The Schenk Law Firm, LLP represents California families in matters of catastrophic injury, civil rights, and institutional liability. Since 1979, the firm has recovered over $25 billion on behalf of its clients. Headquartered in San Diego, the firm prepares every case for trial.
Problem Solvers. Storytellers. Consumer Advocates.
