A recent incident involving two Reading High School students prompted an emotional school board discussion Wednesday about safety improvements and what more can be done to prevent violence.
School board President Noahleen Betts invited Jessica Di Blasi, high school principal, and Shawn Stiver, assistant director of safe schools, to present a report following the incident, which district officials classified as an assault under state reporting guidelines.
Betts said the incident was especially troubling given the progress the school has made in recent years.
“We had come such a long way,” she said. “I don’t know what happened. I don’t know where we failed.”
Dr. Khalid N. Mumin, superintendent, cautioned against viewing the incident as evidence of a broader safety crisis.
“This is not a crisis,” he said, emphasizing that reported incidents have declined significantly in recent years.
Di Blasi presented five years of state-reported disciplinary data showing a 25.4% decline in referrals, from 5,601 in 2021-22 to 4,177 in 2025-26.
Building-level data showed similar improvements, she said, noting fighting incidents declined 48.1% over the past four years, while vaping incidents dropped 21.1%.
She also noted first-quarter fighting incidents fell from 18 in 2023-24 to three this school year.
Further, no weapons or controlled-substance possession incidents have been reported during the current quarter, the principal said.
Di Blasi also surveyed staff and students following the recent incident.
Of 161 staff respondents, 92% agreed or were neutral about feeling safe at the high school. Among 458 students surveyed, 96% agreed or were neutral about feeling safe in classrooms.
However, the surveys revealed concerns about hallway supervision, crowded transitions between classes, bathroom safety and inconsistent discipline.
Nearly half of the students surveyed, 48%, disagreed that discipline was applied consistently.
Di Blasi said visible security personnel, improved communication, entry screening and the district’s cellphone restrictions have contributed to a calmer school environment.
But staffing remains a challenge.
Stiver reported that the high school has 22 authorized safe-schools guard positions, with 14 guards currently assigned and one on medical leave. Transfers, pending bids and new hires undergoing background checks could increase staffing to approximately 19.
Board member Yajaira Stone questioned whether the full complement of 22 guards would be sufficient.
“We’re talking about only 22 guards for a building that massive,” she said, suggesting the district consider increasing staffing.
Di Blasi said the building has more than five miles of hallways, while Stiver reported that its security system includes 317 interior and exterior camera views.
One guard monitors camera feeds, selecting views as circumstances require, he noted.
Mumin said administrators are already considering additional security personnel, with staffing needs to be evaluated against building size, incident patterns and student movement.
Another concern was the disproportionate number of disciplinary referrals involving ninth graders.
Board member Shaykayarira Delrio-Gonzalez urged administrators to consider the neighborhood conflicts and personal histories students bring with them when they enter high school from the district’s five middle schools.
“What’s happening in the streets is important because that’s why the retaliation happens in the schools,” she said.
Mumin said the district is exploring smaller learning communities, additional educational pathways and more individualized attention for students.
“We have to get smaller within this big building,” he said.
He also pointed to freshman success coordinators who monitor attendance, behavior and academic progress to identify students needing intervention.
Betts and other board members acknowledged the significant improvements in school safety and commended Di Blasi, Stiver and their teams for their efforts.
While emphasizing that more work remains, they praised the progress made in reducing disciplinary incidents and creating a safer environment for students and staff.
Despite the encouraging statistics, Betts repeatedly returned to the incident that prompted the presentation.
“We cannot forget the victim, and that’s why you’re here this evening,” she told Di Blasi and Stiver.
Di Blasi responded emotionally, saying she has developed a close relationship with the victim and her family.
“At the end of the day, this happened on my watch,” she said.
The incident weighs heavily on her, Di Blasi said.
“I will never forget the victim,” she said. “I will always take care of the kids the best that I can.”
The board took no formal action on the safety presentation, but administrators agreed to continue evaluating security staffing and strategies for supporting students, particularly ninth graders.
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