Homeless man found sleeping in classroom at K-8 school in Boston
By Peter Eliopoulos
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BOSTON (WCVB) — Parents of students at a Boston school are expressing concerns about their children’s safety after they were notified a homeless man was found sleeping in a classroom.
A staff member at the Richard J. Murphy School, a K-8 school in Dorchester, discovered the man — who is unknown to the Boston Public Schools district — about one hour before the start of classes on Tuesday, according to a message from Principal Courtney Sheppeck obtained by NewsCenter 5.
“No students came into contact with this individual, and no students or staff were in any danger due to this finding,” Sheppeck wrote in her message to members of the school community.
Sheppeck said school leadership was immediately notified, who then contacted Boston police.
According to an incident report from the Boston Police Department, an officer responded to the Murphy School on Worrell Street at about 8:30 a.m. for a reported breaking and entering.
A teacher told the officer that she came into the school around 7:30 a.m. and noticed that her classroom door was shut all the way, which she stated was odd because she never shuts it. The teacher assumed her colleague was already in the classroom, but when she walked in, she did not see anyone.
According to the police report, the teacher yelled out her colleague’s name as she entered the room and an unknown man came walking out of her classroom closet. The teacher stated she froze and the man ran out of the classroom and then out of the rear door of the school, which is located next to her classroom.
The police report states that the officer noticed the door the man ran out of appeared to be slightly open while she was present and was capable of being shut. The officer also reported there was no apparent forced entry, so she said it is possible the door was accidentally left ajar.
According to the police report, no items were left behind by the man and no items were missing with the exception of some cereal from the classroom fridge.
In a statement shared with NewsCenter 5, a Boston Public Schools spokesperson described the incident as a security breach “that allowed an unknown individual to be in the building.”
“Safety and security of our students and staff are of utmost importance. Following an investigation into the matter, we will determine what additional safety measures can be taken at the school to ensure that this does not happen again,” the spokesperson said in their statement.
The BPS spokesperson said additional staff members will do a full sweep of the building Tuesday night and for the foreseeable future to verify that it is fully clear of all occupants.
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