Violence in Waterbury schools addressed

WATERBURY, Conn. (WTNH) -- A third grader arrested for punching the school principal, a student armed with a knife at school, and bullying inside the school gym. Three disturbing incidents all in Waterbury.

School leaders say it started in the gym, over a candy wrapper, and punches flew.

"He was extremely out of control," said Captain Chris Corbett, Waterbury Police Deputy Chief.

A teacher and vice principal came in to break it up.

"At that point, the student began punching her in the chest pulling on her hair and kicking her," said Chief Corbett.

Police say it took three adults to finally restrain the 8-year-old.

The vice principal complained of soreness, but did not seek medical attention. The child was arrested,  suspended from Duggan Elementary, and a grandparent picked him up.

"We have seen incidents of behavior of this sort at younger and younger students. It's very very unfortunate," said Paul Guidone, Waterbury Schools Chief Operating Officer.

Typically with the child being so young they don't usually make an arrest, but in this case police say that was the appropriate action to take.

"We try to mediate the situation, intervene in some other way," said Captain Corbett. "Certainly in this case it rose to a level of an extreme act of violence, it took three people to restrain him."

This is one incident of three last week in Waterbury Schools.

Guidone says at their alternative high school, State Street, three teens ganged up on one, throwing basketballs at him and stealing his sneakers.

Then, at Wilby High a student had a knife in his back pack, but no one was threatened.

Guidone says they have preventative programs district wide, but they don't always work.

"We want to protect a safe environment in all our schools, throughout the district and sometimes disruptive students need to be removed as an example to other students," Guidone said.

The reason why all the students were suspended.