Feb. 19, 2004 – No classes were held at Charlotte Amalie High School on Thursday, but authorities said that circumstance was unrelated to the stabbing injuries inflicted on a student on the school grounds on Wednesday afternoon.
School officials said the free day for students had been schedule earlier to allow the faculty and staff to take part in a self-study exercise that is part of the school accreditation process under way.
Also on Thursday, Carlos Rogers, 18, was scheduled to appear at an advice-of-rights hearing in Territory Court on the charges he faces of third-degree assault and unauthorized presence on school property.
Rogers is accused of knifing a 19-year-old CAHS student who was subsequently treated at Roy L. Schneider for stab wounds to the throat and arm. Authorities seized Rogers following the incident and held him in an office until police appeared and placed him under arrest on Wednesday afternoon.
Sgt. Thomas Hannah, Police Department spokesman, said Rogers spent Wednesday night in jail after failing to make bail, set at $25,000.
Hannah said the victim told authorities that "he saw the suspect involved in a fight with his brother and another relative, and jumped in between the suspect and his brother."
The suspect "pulled a black-handled knife and stabbed the victim," Hannah said on Thursday, adding that a weapon of that description was found at the scene of the incident.
School officials said Rogers is not a student at CAHS.
Hannah concurred with Principal Jeannette Smith that keeping intruders off the high school campus is difficult. "The problem with Charlotte Amalie is it's an open school campus," he said. "It's like Central High School; it's spread out." But he said steps can be taken, especially by parents of students, to increase safety and security.
He urged parents to take advantage of employment policies if they work for the government or for an Economic Development Commission beneficiary company and take time off to visit their children's schools. He also called for greater insistence on students wearing their school identification badges, to make it easier to spot individuals who don't belong on campus.
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