A teacher’s aide and a fifth-grade student struck by BBs during recess at the Rutherford Elementary School

June 2009

On June 15, a teacher’s aide and a fifth-grade student were struck by BBs while on the playground at the Kenneth L. Rutherford Elementary School in Monticello.

The alleged assailant was apprehended by Monticello police officers shortly after the incident and a BB rifle equipped with a scope was confiscated. The police are questioning a teenage boy who is not from the Monticello Central School District, but was apparently staying with relatives in a house that is located in close proximity to the school.

Neither the aide nor the student was seriously hurt. The fifth-grader who was hit by one of the BBs had a welt on his ankle. He was examined by the school nurse and his mother and was sent back to class. The teacher’s aide went to urgent care for treatment of a shallow skin wound.

The Monticello Police Department is still investigating the incident to determine if the victims were struck intentionally or by accident.

The area has been secured and there is no ongoing threat to the safety of the staff or students at the school. In-school counselors have been made available.