After the Stabbing, the Silence — Then Foss High School Tried to Go Back to Normal

On Monday morning, Foss High School’s hallways were unusually quiet. Four days after a knife fight left six people hurt, including one who was fighting for his life in the intensive care unit after having a portion of his lung surgically removed, students filed back through the doors, some with their heads down and others looking around. Outside was a Tacoma police cruiser. The building was filled with crisis counselors. In a technical sense, it was a return to school. The question of whether it felt like one is completely different.

Named for Henry Foss, a tugboat tycoon and civic leader whose family became somewhat of a local institution along the waterfront, Foss High School has been a part of Tacoma’s South End since 1973. When people talk about crime, violence, and what went wrong on a Thursday afternoon, they often forget that the school was the first in Washington state to offer the International Baccalaureate program, which is still offered today. Even though that day is now what most people are looking for, there is more to this school than just one awful day.

The incident allegedly began the day before when 16-year-old Waleed Essakhi allegedly stole a vape pen from a classmate at a skate park close to campus. It’s the kind of minor, foolish provocation that gets out of control in unexpected ways. Four pupils confronted him inside the school the following day. Before the fight started, security cameras showed Essakhi taking something out of his pocket and, according to one victim’s account, making fun of the other students. Six people had been cut by the time employees and a security guard were able to separate them. Emergency surgery was performed on one student. Another required surgery due to a serious wound on his arm. “We call him uncle around here, everyone really loves him” is how students affectionately describe the security guard, who was cut on the arm while attempting to carry out his duties.

Essakhi is being tried as an adult after being charged with four counts of first-degree assault with a deadly weapon. On Friday, his defense entered a not guilty plea. He is still being held at Remann Hall on $750,000 bail, and a June court date is anticipated. His mother informed police that he had recently transferred to Foss from Clover Park High School in an attempt to start over after prior altercations, according to court records, which complicates the situation without providing an explanation. He wasn’t affiliated with any gangs, she said. At least one prior incident involving a belt is documented. At trial, a more complete picture of the events leading up to Thursday might be revealed, but for now, the story is still piecemeal.

The question that currently looms over the district is unambiguous. Metal detectors are not used at Foss High School. Following the stabbing, district officials immediately acknowledged this, as well as the fact that the problem had previously been brought up. The weight of that admission is difficult to ignore. Metal detectors are costly, logistically challenging, and have unsettling implications for the ideal atmosphere of a school. However, a knife found its way through the front doors, and six people had to pay for it. In a way that may not have been the case prior to last Thursday, the district must now decide whether to pursue detectors, find another solution, or do nothing and hope it doesn’t happen again.

The campus was described as tense but functional by returning students on Monday. There were visible crisis teams. The building was traversed by additional administrators. As is often the case with visible security, the police cruiser outside was both comforting and unsettling. Senior Alizefaralita Afataa described what many students appeared to be experiencing: a sense of confused normalcy and the peculiarity of returning to a location where something truly terrifying had occurred. “Many children were afraid,” she remarked. “It was kind of weird seeing so many adults.” It was strange, and she’s right. It ought to be strange. To feel safe enough to reopen, schools shouldn’t frequently require police cruisers and crisis teams.

The IB program is still in place. The Falcons’ teams are still in existence. The structure at 2112 South Tyler Street is still standing, operating according to its bell schedule, and carrying out the duties that schools are expected to perform. However, something changed last Thursday, and the more difficult question for Tacoma, Foss, and all districts operating schools without metal detectors and hoping for the best is what comes next.