WINDSOR, Va. — Some parents in Isle of Wight County told 13News Now they are worried about school safety and communication, after sheriff's deputies said a student at Georgie Tyler Middle School stabbed a fellow student Thursday with a sharpened pencil.
Officials also told 13News Now the lead became lodged under the student's earlobe. The child hurt went to the hospital for treatment, law enforcement said.
They also confirmed serving a warrant and detaining the other underage student.
The situation also sent Georgie Tyler Middle School into a modified lockdown for a portion of Thursday, according to an Isle of Wight County Schools spokeswoman. That means learning continued, but students could not go to common areas, like hallways or the cafeteria.
An argument between the two students led to the stabbing, deputies said.
Staff members did remove the two students from the classroom right away and separated them, the school division spokeswoman added. "This was an isolated incident that at no time posed any threat to the overall safety of the school," she furthermore clarified.
Word traveled fast in and around Windsor.
"I just couldn't believe that it happened," said one parent of a high schooler in Isle of Wight County, who did not want to give her name. She recalled learning about the incident from a co-worker.
"First, they didn't know what the student was stabbed with. Then, when we found it was a pencil," the parent said. "Your first thought is, is that child OK? Then, your second thought is what caused the other child to feel like it was okay to act out like that?"
Meanwhile, an anonymous Georgie Tyler Middle School parent wrote 13News Now in part: "The kids that weren't even at school today were getting texts from their friends about what happened and had fear and emotions."
She also shared concerns about acts of violence mounting within the school division, possible troubling patterns, as well two emails that went out to families Thursday.
Messages 13News Now viewed from the middle school parent notified about a medical response, but not about a stabbing.
The division spokeswoman said that administrators prioritize student safety and will review procedures and responses moving forward.