The female principal of a small Christian school in Memphis was found dead on Wednesday and a 17-year-old male student was in custody, police said
Suzette York, 49, was the principal of Memphis Junior Academy, a Seventh-Day Adventist affiliated school with 64 students ranging from kindergarten through the 11th grade.
Sgt. Karen Rudolph, public information officer for the Memphis Police Department, said York was "in a classroom when she was killed by a 17-year-old student."
But Rudolph said the investigation was still going on and no charges had yet been filed.
York, who also taught at the school, was pronounced dead after officers arrived on the scene at 11:25 a.m., she said.
Rudolph declined to comment on local media reports that York had been stabbed to death.
"They haven't given us a cause of death, but all they will say is 'she was wounded'," Rudolph said of police who were investigating the death.
"The student was on the scene when officers arrived and was taken into custody."
Marvin Lowman, communications director for the Seventh-Day Adventist Kentucky-Tennessee Conference in Goodlettsville, said he knew York and was "shocked and saddened" by her death. York was married but he was not sure if she had children.
The Memphis school is one of 19 church-affiliated schools in the two-state conference.
"You don't expect these kinds of things to happen, especially in a Christian school," Lowman said. "But we're all human, and they do."
Parents were called and classes were dismissed after York's body was discovered. Lowman said students won't report back to school until next week. Classes had restarted just three days ago after summer break, he said.
"We are trying to make arrangements to provide counseling for students and staff" when classes resume, he said.
York had been the principal of Memphis Junior Academy since 2008. She taught at the school in the 1990s, left to work in Canada, then was asked back to become principal, Lowman said.
"One of her dreams was to make this a 12-grade school, 13 if you count kindergarten," he said.
Principal found dead in classroom, student held
The female principal of a small Christian school in Memphis was found dead on Wednesday and a 17-year-old male student was in custody, police said
Suzette York, 49, was the principal of Memphis Junior Academy, a Seventh-Day Adventist affiliated school with 64 students ranging from kindergarten through the 11th grade.
Sgt. Karen Rudolph, public information officer for the Memphis Police Department, said York was "in a classroom when she was killed by a 17-year-old student."
But Rudolph said the investigation was still going on and no charges had yet been filed.
York, who also taught at the school, was pronounced dead after officers arrived on the scene at 11:25 a.m., she said.
Rudolph declined to comment on local media reports that York had been stabbed to death.
"They haven't given us a cause of death, but all they will say is 'she was wounded'," Rudolph said of police who were investigating the death.
"The student was on the scene when officers arrived and was taken into custody."
Marvin Lowman, communications director for the Seventh-Day Adventist Kentucky-Tennessee Conference in Goodlettsville, said he knew York and was "shocked and saddened" by her death. York was married but he was not sure if she had children.
The Memphis school is one of 19 church-affiliated schools in the two-state conference.
"You don't expect these kinds of things to happen, especially in a Christian school," Lowman said. "But we're all human, and they do."
Parents were called and classes were dismissed after York's body was discovered. Lowman said students won't report back to school until next week. Classes had restarted just three days ago after summer break, he said.
"We are trying to make arrangements to provide counseling for students and staff" when classes resume, he said.
York had been the principal of Memphis Junior Academy since 2008. She taught at the school in the 1990s, left to work in Canada, then was asked back to become principal, Lowman said.
"One of her dreams was to make this a 12-grade school, 13 if you count kindergarten," he said.
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