Judge Amy Holmes Hehn said the teen must stay in his current unit, away from the school building, until another facility can be arranged. The ruling followed a two-hour hearing in which prosecutors argued that he posed a safety risk, while his attorneys and county juvenile services officials said detention could put his mental health at greater risk.

The student faces 19 charges, including domestic terrorism and attempted murder. Prosecutors allege he released toxic chemicals at Benson in an attempt to kill himself and others. He has not been convicted, and is not being named because he is a minor. Multnomah County District Attorney Nathan Vasquez has said prosecutors will seek to try him as an adult.

Prosecutors asked that the teen be transferred from the Parry Center for Children to the Donald E. Long Juvenile Detention Center. They questioned the appropriateness of keeping him at the Parry Center, whose school is operated by the same district as Benson. Deputy District Attorney Eric Zimmerman said the state did not believe it was fair for the youth to remain in a Portland Public Schools setting.

Prosecutors also disclosed that employees at the Parry Center include parents of Benson students affected by the incident. One witness, identified in court as an “Anonymous father and teacher,” said he worked at the center and that his son had been only feet from the alleged chemical release. He told the court the situation had made it difficult to teach while his family remained worried about caring for the student accused of causing harm.

Defense attorney Noah Horst objected to the timing of that disclosure, calling it “a bit like an ambush.” The defense argued that its client has a history of self-harm and faces a high risk of suicide in detention. Attorney Norah Van Dusen told the court the case involved a young person with a “very, very high rate of suicidality.”

Silvia Gomez, a senior manager with Multnomah County juvenile services, testified that Donald E. Long was understaffed and not equipped to manage the teen’s acute mental health needs. She recommended keeping him where he could receive treatment and stabilize.

Holmes Hehn initially ordered the teen taken into custody, saying she could not find that the facility’s limitations outweighed a victim’s rights. As sheriff’s deputies waited to take him to detention, Horst asked for time to find another placement. The defense later told the judge that the Benson parent worked in a separate building from the teen and that the teen’s therapist could keep them apart.

The judge then ordered the teen returned to the Parry Center under restrictions while officials arrange a transfer. The next hearing is scheduled for Nov. 9.