A Brazilian high school student is facing possible confinement after she allegedly stabbed her math teacher in a classroom attack captured on video.
The 17-year-old, whose name has been withheld because she is a minor, was arrested Sept. 11 at Dr. Gerson dos Santos State School in Cametá, a city in the northeastern state of Pará. She told officers she attacked educator Betânia de Almeida because she disliked her, according to a Pará Civil Police report.
The student, an 11th grader, had just received her graded mathematics exam when the violence erupted. A family member told Brazilian news outlet G1 that de Almeida had finished grading the test when she nearly lost her life.
Footage shows the teen standing near de Almeida’s desk in an otherwise empty classroom, initially appearing to fidget with her hair. She then suddenly produced a hunting knife and lunged at the teacher.
De Almeida dodged the first strike and struggled to wrestle the weapon from her student. The girl appeared to connect with at least one blow during the wild scrum and nearly stabbed her teacher a second time near the face, according to the video.
The teacher broke free and fled the classroom with the student in pursuit. De Almeida was rushed to Cametá Regional Hospital, where she received stitches. A CT scan showed the stab wound did not affect any organs, and she was discharged Saturday, according to the school.
Cametá-based lawyer Thays Cruz told The Post that the teen is not “criminally liable” because she is a minor. Under Brazil’s Statute of the Child and Adolescent, she will face an infraction similar to attempted homicide rather than adult criminal charges.
“Here, we use the term ‘socio-educational measure’ for any penalty imposed on a minor who commits a crime,” Cruz said.
“In her case, given the seriousness of the attempted homicide, I believe a measure involving confinement could be applied.”
The Union of Public Education Workers of Pará issued a forceful denunciation of the assault and demanded a full investigation by law enforcement authorities.
“Violence against education is violence against all of society,” the union said.
It remains unclear whether the student is still in police custody following her arrest at the school.
The Pará State Department of Education and the Pará Civil Police did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the case.
The attack has intensified concerns about educator safety in Brazil’s public schools, where teachers have increasingly reported threats and physical violence from students.