Editor’s note: This story, originally published at 2:02 p.m. Oct. 14, 2024, was updated at 5:17 p.m. to correct that a staff member, not a teacher, was allegedly struck by the student. It was updated at 12:05 p.m. on Oct. 15, 2024, to add information from a community letter sent by the school Monday.
A Montgomery County Public Schools student allegedly assaulted a Northwest High School staff member by striking him in the head with a laptop Monday, according to police radio transmissions.
In a Monday community letter sent to Northwest families and staff, Principal Scott Smith said that Montgomery County police were investigating the incident.
“It is important to note that any student who chooses to commit an act of violence will be subject to progressive discipline in alignment with the MCPS Code of Conduct up to possible expulsion. Police will determine whether criminal charges may apply,” Smith wrote.
Around 11:53 a.m. Monday, police responded to the report of an assault at the school at 13501 Richter Farm Road in Germantown, according to the transmissions.
The dispatcher said the staff member, a 54-year-old man, was conscious but having trouble breathing after the alleged assault. Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service crews also responded to the incident and the man was transported to a local hospital, according to Montgomery County Public Schools spokesperson Liliana Lopez.
Following the incident, the student, 15, was taken to the school’s office and was with the school’s security staff, according to radio transmissions.
Although police radio transmissions initially reported that a teacher had been struck, Lopez confirmed Monday afternoon that the student had struck a staff member with the laptop. She did not share any other details about the incident.
