WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Just weeks into his tenure, Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools Superintendent Dr. Don Phipps is confronting two of the district’s most pressing challenges: a fatal stabbing at North Forsyth High School and an ongoing budget deficit that has already led to staff reductions.
Phipps was sworn in Dec. 1. Within weeks, a 16-year-old student was killed during a stabbing inside a bathroom at North Forsyth High School, a tragedy that has shaken the school system and raised renewed concerns about safety.
“Crisis response is one of those things we have to deal with, but not something we do a lot, thank goodness,” Phipps said in an interview with WFMY News 2. “I hope in my career I never have to do it again.”…