The Mattapan teen accused of punching and knocking out Henderson School Principal Patricia Lampron in November 2021 was arraigned on upgraded charges and identified publicly in Dorchester District Court last Wednesday.

Laurette LeRouge, now 17, appeared in court with her mother and siblings, with some of Lampron’s family also present, to face upgraded charges of being a “youthful offender.” That status allows for her, if convicted on the felony charges, to be sentenced as an adult and to be identified publicly for the first time since the attack.

LeRouge was first arraigned last November in the Juvenile Division of the court on assault and battery charges, which prevented her from being identified and facing adult penalties. District Attorney Kevin Hayden said his office does not usually push such charges on a juvenile offender, but this case was different.

“Our priority is to keep young people out of the court system through diversion programs and other alternatives to prosecution,” he said. “But the severity of this attack justifies an approach that will provide a judge more sentencing options than are available under traditional juvenile procedures.”

On Monday, the grassroots Boston Safety of Our Schools (SOS) group – which has been very outspoken since the attack on Lampron – released a three-pronged plan for school safety as students prepare to return to the classroom next month. It noted an increase in assaults on students and staff last year and the fact that 12 guns were confiscated in schools.

“There must be a new comprehensive strategy that provides for the safe learning environment our students deserve,” the group said in a statement. “We believe that Boston should provide a world-class education for every student. In order to accomplish this goal, we must provide safe schools because this is the foundation of a great education. We believe that a three-pronged approach is necessary for safe schools which includes metal detectors, school police, and a comprehensive early intervention strategy.”

The call for a return of the School Police follows the dismantling of the old Boston School Police force, which was replaced in July 2021 with the Office of School Safety – a program that removed enforcement and arrest powers from the agency’s mission. Many have called for the return of the officers, while others have argued that traditional policing has no place in a school setting.

They need “to develop a clear, updated MOU between BPS, BPD, and MBTA police in order to have clear lines of communication that address the intersection of serious school and community safety issues,” reads the BostonSOS plan.

The full text can be found at bostonsos.com.