Junior High Is Calm in Wake of Stabbing : Violence: The attack on a ninth-grader by another student is the first serious fight in the history of Dodson school in Rancho Palos Verdes.

Faculty and students at Dodson Junior High School tried hard to return to a normal routine this week, after a 14-year-old student was stabbed by another boy Monday during a morning break on the sprawling Los Angeles Unified School District campus.

Word of the attack stunned people at the school, known for its high academic standards and its peaceful hillside setting in Rancho Palos Verdes. School officials say it was the first serious fight in Dodson’s 31-year history--an assault they described as all the more shocking since it occurred in full view of a campus custodian and a few feet from an assistant principal.

The victim, a ninth-grader at the school, suffered a small wound to the back and was treated at San Pedro Peninsula Hospital before being sent home with his parents. The suspect, a 13-year-old eighth-grader was booked at the Lomita sheriff’s station on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. He was later taken to Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall and released to his parents.

“It really was very frightening,” Principal Peggy Selma said. “But we’ve worked hard to put this behind us, and I think it’s blown over. This is definitely an isolated incident.”

Selma said the boys, neither of whom was identified, had been “badgering” each other since the start of school in mid-August. At the end of the snack break, she said, the 13-year-old walked up to the older boy and told him to “stop (bugging) me.” When the older boy turned and moved away, the suspect allegedly stuck a small steak knife in his back, investigators said.

Assistant Principal David Legacki, who was standing a few feet away from the boys, said the suspect “just stood there and watched. He never showed any kind of remorse. He made no bones about it at all.”

Although the victim is black and the suspect is Latino, Legacki said the incident was not racially motivated. School officials said there is no evidence that either of the boys is a gang member.

“This is something we’ve never seen here,” he said. “I don’t think there’s ever been a case involving guns or knives, and I think that really shocked everybody.”

Shortly after the incident, Selma announced what had happened over the school’s public address system “to quash any rumors.” Three crisis counselors from the school district were dispatched to the school Tuesday, and security was beefed up at the campus.

However, other than some concerned calls from parents, school officials said the atmosphere had returned to normal by Tuesday. Students lined up for picture day and sought relief from the stifling heat by hanging out in the shade during recess.

Although some students were still talking about it Wednesday, the fact that the victim did not suffer a serious injury seemed to lessen the impact of the attack, Legacki said.

“It really took everybody by surprise, and some people were pretty upset at first,” said Jeff Imai, student body president at the school. “But it’s not really a big issue anymore.”

Selma said school district officials plan to expel the suspect. She said they will complete an investigation before deciding whether the victim should return to the school.

The school, which has a “gifted magnet” program of nearly 470 students out of the school’s 1,750 students, is on a 23-acre site on the eastern edge of Rancho Palos Verdes. Selma said the school’s location and academic reputation has helped it avoid much of the turmoil that affects other campuses in the district.

“We don’t anticipate any repercussions but we’re taking every precaution,” she said. “As far as we’re concerned it’s over and I hope it’s over forever.”