A man is in custody after assaulting a female teacher at Portsmouth High School this morning.
Parents received notice of the event from Portsmouth High School at 10:01 am via email this morning.
“At approximately 9:05 this morning, an intruder attempted to enter the new gymnasium. The teacher intercepted the intruder and directed him to the main office. The teacher directed the students to call 911 and the students were placed into a lockdown. In this process the teacher was assaulted. The suspect was apprehended by the police and taken into custody. No students were physically hurt in this incident,” the email stated.
“The police and our student resource officer secured the building. The building is safe for all our students and staff. We will be providing ongoing counseling and support for students and staff.” the email concludes.
The condition of the teacher or the reason for the attack is not known at this time.
Update: Portsmouth Police has identified the man as Marcus Schlip (22), a former Portsmouth High School student. WJAR-TV reports that officers founds a large knife in Schlip’s backpack. For more details on this incident, read WJAR’s story here.
This story is developing and will be updated as more information is made available.