(WXYZ) — A Detroit mother and her daughter have been charged in the stabbing of a 13-year-old girl at Gompers Elementary-Middle School last week.
An eighth-grade student stabbed another eighth-grade student, according to Detroit Public Schools Community District.
Watch below: Bullying may have led to Detroit school stabbing
It's alleged that Lacara Anita Parks, 37, gave her 13-year-old daughter a pocketknife to use if she needed to defend herself on the way home from school.
That knife was then used in the stabbing of the 13-year-old victim. The district said a student’s mother gave her child a small knife inside the school.
Watch below: Mom and child arrested after student stabbed at Detroit school, district says
“The security guard has been removed from the school pending an investigation that could lead to termination,” part of a statement said from DPSCD.
Parks has been charged with two misdemeanors – Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor and Possession of a Weapon in a Weapons-Free School Zone, and the teen was charged with Assault with Intent to do Great Bodily Harm, and Possession of a Weapon in a Weapons-Free School Zone
“This case illustrates that a lot of things went wrong on many levels and as a result a child was stabbed. It’s unacceptable. We can do so much better than this for our children,” said Prosecutor Kym Worthy.
The stabbing also revealed troubling details about both security lapses and ongoing bullying issues that may have contributed to the violence.
Sources within the district say accusations of bullying led up to the stabbing incident that occurred Wednesday morning. The attack has highlighted concerns from parents who claim their complaints about bullying were dismissed by school staff.
"No one wants to be bothered with the situation when we as parents bring it to the staff at the schools, you know, 'what are you going to do about the bullying?'" said Roslyn McGraw, whose daughter attends the school and knows the students involved in the stabbing. "'Well, we gotta see,' or whatever, 'We gotta talk about it.' They sweep it under the rug until somebody gets hurt."
McGraw said she received a cold response when she previously raised bullying concerns with school officials.
"It's sad because they totally disregarded it when I brought it up to them. They was looking at me like I didn't know what I was talking about," McGraw said.
