Update - A Northeast Middle School student died Tuesday after being stabbed in a bathroom at the school.
The suspected attacker was arrested by police and the case will be presented to prosecutors for charges.
While some students were reunited with their families, others reflected on the emotional school day.
Eighth grader Diamond Walker, who says she was close to the victim, says she had an emotional reaction when she heard the news.
"We all started busting down crying," Walker said. "If it was your family or somebody you were close to you would feel the same way, and I feel like it's not fair that it happened and that it had to end that way."
Several students who spoke with KSHB 41 News said that when they were placed on lockdown, they initially though it was a drill.
“They said lockdown, and my teacher said it was a drill…we had to go in the closet and we had to sit there for like an hour or two,” NEMS student Zakai Bland said. “It was scary... (the teacher) was kind of spooked too but she was doing her job very well.”
During the school day, eighth grader Nyiarra King said students were in touch with family.
“We all were breaking down, we were calling our family members, we called (the victim's) mom,” she said.
Walker says she wishes better conflict-resolution was used to avoid violence.
"There’s different ways to handle a situation," Walker said. "You could’ve talked about it, you could’ve just stopped communicating with each other.”
Officer Donna Drake, a spokesperson for the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department, spoke about how parents can help their students be prepared when conflict arises.
“This is scary, as a parent to get that call," Drake said.
She advised parents to have conversations with their children so that they know how to respond to these situations.
"Have that open line of communication with your students, with your kids, so that if they are having any problems with somebody at school that they can come to you directly, maybe to resolve it,” Drake said.
