A 16-year-old girl who was stabbed during a first-period class at San Ysidro High School has filed a lawsuit in San Diego Superior Court, targeting the Sweetwater Union High School District, the classmate she says attacked her, and that student’s parents. The complaint traces the Dec. 10, 2025 classroom attack, alleges she suffered serious physical and emotional harm, and seeks damages while asking the court to find the district and the other defendants liable for negligence and for maintaining what it calls a dangerous condition of public property.
According to The San Diego Union-Tribune, the lawsuit claims the assailant walked into the classroom with his face wrapped in bandages that left only one eye visible, then repeatedly stabbed the girl in the head, face, neck and chest. The filing also alleges that after the attack, he changed clothes and mixed back in with other students on campus before he was found and detained hours later.
In a release from the San Diego Police Department, officers said the stabbing was reported shortly after 9 AM on Dec. 10. Police located a person of interest around 10:45 AM, later recovering a knife and clothing they tied to the incident. The release notes that both students are juveniles and that the injured girl was treated for non-life-threatening wounds before the school lockdown was lifted.
School response and earlier coverage
School officials said they coordinated with police after the attack and would review campus safety measures again. The superintendent told NBC 7 San Diego that the district had added security cameras the year before and would review its security protocols in light of the stabbing. Hoodline previously covered the Dec. 10 lockdown and arrest in its report.
What the suit alleges
The complaint, as outlined by The San Diego Union-Tribune, accuses the alleged attacker of assault and battery and names his parents for negligent supervision. It further contends the district failed in its duty to protect students. The lawsuit says the district’s comprehensive safety plan had not been updated since 2008 and argues that existing school policies and campus supervision allowed a targeted attack to happen. Attorney Benjamin Schenk told the paper the teen “has been physically, mentally and emotionally injured.”
Why this matters
Cases like this have become a common route for families looking to pressure school districts to tighten security after on-campus violence. In Illinois, a Jan. 9 classroom stabbing led to a lawsuit against Zion-Benton Township High School District, as reported by CBS Chicago. In Southern California, families have also taken districts to court after deadly campus attacks, including a suit filed following a fatal stabbing at a Santa Ana high school, per FOX 11 Los Angeles…