close
close

After a nearby shooting incident, classes at a charter school in Dorchester are now only being held online

Neighborhood House Charter School (NHCS) in Dorchester has switched to an online-only model following a shooting at the nearby Shawmut MBTA station last Friday in which a student was believed to be the intended target.

No one was injured in the May 31 “shooting incident,” but school officials had to respond immediately and remain very concerned about possible acts of violence against the school community in the future.

The charter school’s upper grades, which are partially housed at the old St. Mark’s School campus on Centre Street, suspended in-person classes for grades 8 through 11 on Monday in response to last week’s incident. Upper grade students have already finished classes and lower grades are attending school in another building on Pope’s Hill. The school’s upper campus was closed Tuesday and Wednesday.

On Thursday, NHCS Director Kate Scott said the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) had approved the school’s request to hold classes remotely until June 14 out of concern for student safety.

“While there have been no incidents on our campus, many of our students commute to and from school on the MBTA,” Scott said in a statement to The Reporter. “Last Friday, multiple shots were fired at the Shawmut T-Station. Police believe one of our students – who is not currently attending school in person – was the intended target.

She added: “We have also learned that individuals associated with the alleged attackers in last week’s incident have communicated with members of our community that they intend to return. The alleged attackers are not NHCS fellows.”

DESE confirmed to the reporter late Thursday that the request had been made and Acting Commissioner Russell D. Johnston had approved it to hold distance learning for grades 8 through 11 “for a limited period of time for safety reasons.”

“We are grateful that DESE has accommodated us to this request and takes the safety and well-being of our community seriously,” Scott’s statement said. “The situation continues to evolve and we are trying to release information in a timely manner while working on these changes behind the scenes. We are working hard to keep the safety of our scholars, staff and families at the center of all our decisions.”

Other shootings near Shawmut Station in recent weeks, including Monday night, have also heightened fears.

The NHCS Upper School campus was the subject of several lockdowns and incidents over the past year after a group of adults allegedly threatened students near the school, prompting additional security measures at school parties and other events.

NHCS has worked and continues to work with a security team from Concrete Protective Services, the Boston Police Department and the MBTA Transit Police to improve student and staff safety on campus.

-This is a developing story.-