16-year-old boy responsible for Northern High School stabbing: Durham County Sheriff's Office

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- Durham Public Schools made a team of six counselors available to Northern High School students after a teenager was stabbed there Monday.

The incident forced the campus on lockdown and resulted in law enforcement swarming the school.

"It's a very unfortunate incident," DPS Superintendent Dr. Pascal Mubenga said.

Durham County Sheriff's Office announced Tuesday it had taken out juvenile petitions against a 16-year-old boy for stabbing another student on campus.

The incident happened less than a week after the first day of school. Nearly 1,500 students go to Northern and now efforts are being made to make sure everyone is OK.

"The last thing we want is for a student or a staff member to say, 'I'd like to speak to someone,' and there's no one available,'" said Durham School District Senior Executive Director for Student Support Services Dr. Laverne Mattocks-Perry.

The work is taking place as Durham prepares to make a presentation at the CUBE annual conference this month in Chicago. DPS will present the district's successful mental health practices.

"Building those relationships, especially in the wake of something that could be traumatic or have some adverse impact on the emotional or societal development, is really important so try we try to utilize our relationship building with our students to allow them to have a safe space to express whatever emotions they're feeling," said Mattocks-Perry.

The district said parents aren't alone in this and they too can access these counselors for help.

ABC11 asked if any students are facing suspension or expulsion because of the incident Monday.

A spokesperson would not answer that exact question, but said the district's policy does not condone fighting and there will be consequences.