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Ola Middle School student arrested after stabbing another student in fight, police say
In Henry County, Ola Middle School officials say police arrested a student Wednesday after a fight on campus became a stabbing.
HENRY COUNTY, Ga. - Chaos erupted at Ola Middle School in Henry County on Wednesday morning after a fight between two female students lead to one of the girls being stabbed. Now, the student responsible is in custody and school officials say they are investigating the incident alongside the Henry County Police Department.
"My son said they were arguing, and the girl had a ring that had a knife in it, and so when she was punching the other girl, the knife that was in her ring cut her cheek," parent Christie Peck told FOX 5.
Peck said her seventh-grader was in the gym just before 11:30 a.m. watching as it happened. Shaken up by the incident, she picked her kids up from school early.
"As a parent it’s also…I feel for that child’s parents. I can’t imagine getting a phone call like that. That’s somebody else’s baby," she said.
According to school officials, the initial investigation revealed that a small object with a sharp edge caused the injury to a student.
A statement posted to the school district’s website Wednesday afternoon reads in part:
"The object has since been confiscated by school administrators and law enforcement officials and the student is now in the custody of law enforcement facing pending charges."
Peck said her biggest worry is how a student was able to get a weapon into the building.
"It’s scary. We’re in a good area…you wouldn’t think that this would happen," Peck said.
Other parents told FOX 5 they are angry at the response from school officials and that they should have been notified about the incident sooner.
"I found out through Facebook…nobody got anything…no notification of the incident until at least 46 minutes after the incident," one mother recalled. "I’m sick of it…there are too many adults in this building to let these kids do what they do," she added.
In response to the incident Wednesday morning, district officials said:
"We cannot stress enough that weapons or dangerous objects of any kind are never allowed on our campus and any activity of this nature will result in an immediate and appropriate response."
FOX 5 asked whether there were any plans to beef up security in schools as a result of the incident. A Henry County Schools spokesperson responded saying:
"There will be additional law enforcement presence as we continue to investigate the incident. Additionally, we continue to evaluate district safety and security measures on an ongoing basis and make changes as necessary."