6 students suffer minor injuries after firecracker goes off inside Paterson classroom
By Jayed Rahman
Published: October 26, 2018
Half-dozen students suffered minor injuries on Thursday morning after a pair lit fire cracker inside a classroom at John F. Kennedy High School.
School nurse checked all six students. Two suffered second-degree burns. One was burned, but not as severely as others. And three had ringing in their ears, according to school officials.
Paul Brubaker, spokesman for the Paterson Public Schools, said the school immediately notified the students’ parents. He said none of them had to be taken to the hospital.
The incident took place inside a second-floor classroom of the School of Architecture and Construction Trades (ACT) at John F. Kennedy High School at about 10:45 a.m. The spokesman said students from the second floor were evacuated to the auditorium.
School security investigated a “possible firecracker or smoke bomb” released into the classroom. Police were called to the scene.
Police chief Troy Oswald said two students, a boy and girl, were arrested. Both are 16 years old, he said. The girl brought the firecrackers into the school building and the boy lit them in the classroom, according to police.
It wasn’t immediately clear what offense each student was charged with.
Brubaker said both students were placed on 10-day out-of-school suspension following the incident.
School officials allowed students to return to the second floor after 12 p.m.
Email: [email protected]