A female Brainerd High School student was shot with a Taser by a resource officer Thursday during a fight with another female student, according to police.
The student entered a classroom about 1:30 p.m. and began assaulting another student, said Janice Atkinson, spokeswoman for the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office. School resource Officer Denise Short was called to the classroom, where she tried to break up the fight, Ms. Atkinson said.
"She tried several ways to get the aggressor to stop and she refused, and so that's when she resorted to using the Taser on her to stop anyone else from being hurt," Ms. Atkinson said.
The decision to use a Taser is up to each deputy, she said, and it is considered "the next step up, when they've asked repeatedly and tried to intervene, to stop an assault. When everything else fails, then they resort to a Tasing."
The student is being charged with simple assault and disorderly conduct, Ms. Atkinson said. Since both students involved in the fight are under age 18, their names will not be released, she said.
This isn't the first time a Taser has been used on a Brainerd High student. On Nov. 30, 2009, a resource officer used a stun gun on 18-year-old Monterell Neal while breaking up a fight between him and an unidentified juvenile, according to newspaper archives.
Danielle Clarke, spokeswoman for Hamilton County Schools, was unsure Thursday if the school notified parents of the incident, but she said that, in similar cases, schools have chosen to send a letter home discussing the issue.
Hamilton County Emergency Medical Services personnel were called Thursday to check on the student per policy and transported her to an area hospital after she complained of shortness of breath, Ms. Atkinson said.
Should SROs carry tasers in schools? Click here to tell us what you think.