Mother of middle school student killed in stabbing files wrongful death against KCPS

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - A 14-year-old Northeast Middle School student died in April 2022, stabbed to death by a classmate.

Manuel Guzman was killed during an incident in the school bathroom, and the 14-year-old classmate was sentenced in May.

On Monday afternoon, Manuel’s mother Vicenta Guzman filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Kansas City Public Schools, accusing the district of negligence.

The lawsuit alleges improper operation of metal detectors at Northeast Middle School, claiming there were “obvious blind spots,” and that despite students and district employees being aware of the deficiency, the ”safety issue was ignored.”

The court document stated the student convicted in Manuel’s death “brought a knife into the school through obviously ill-maintained and negligently calibrated metal detectors.”

Guzman and her attorney also accuse school employees of ignoring threats to stab her son and did not act quickly enough to keep him safe.

While the district would not comment on pending litigation, we spoke to another Northeast Middle School Parent during dismissal who shared her experience when dealing with security on campus.

“I have to go through the metal detectors, I have to show my I.D, so I’ve had good experiences so far with Security,” Darinda Lovelace said. “They’re doing their job.”

Vicenta Guzman’s lawsuit requested a jury trial and financial compensation.

KCPS released a statement regarding the lawsuit.