Students in a Pittsburgh Public Schools special education center are learning remotely this week after a student allegedly assaulted a staff member in the school.
The Oliver Citywide Academy student is in police custody following the incident. The staff member was hospitalized.
District spokesperson Ebony Pugh said school police were notified of an assault shortly before 9 a.m. on Friday, and the school moved to a remote learning day because of a staffing shortage.
Pugh said Monday that neither district nor school officials were available for comment on the incident as they plan to return students to the building next week.
In a statement, Superintendent Wayne Walters said the district is working to give staff space and time to support the re-entry.
The school is still grieving the death of Marquis Campbell, a 15-year-old shot and killed outside of the school in January.
“It is critical that we give the school team the space and time needed to support the successful return of students potentially re-traumatized by [Friday’s] event,” Walters said in a statement.
According to the release, the school’s administration is reviewing “schedules, systems, and procedures to determine the need for additional safety and support measures.”
The school serves students with disabilities in grades 3-12 with Individualized Education Plans. According to the district, school counselors are contacting families to discuss plans for individual students returning to the building.
School board president Sala Udin said in a release that the board expects the administration to address the events leading up to the assault and take steps to ensure that similar incidents don’t happen again.
“The board places the highest priority on the safety of the students and staff at Oliver Citywide, and all of its schools and will work with the administration to determine the facts and circumstances of this unfortunate incident,” he said.
Students will return by grade level next Monday through Wednesday. The school is closed Friday for parent-teacher conferences.
