Reports of stabbing at Henderson Middle School (PHOTO: Sandra Jones)
RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR) - A student was charged with aggravated assault after allegedly stabbing another student Tuesday at Henderson Middle School.
The school is located along the 4300 block of Old Brook Rd. in North Richmond.
A seventh-grade male student cut a seventh-grade female student in the leg with a pair of scissors in the hallway during a bathroom break around noon, Richmond school officials told CBS 6 reporter Sandra Jones.
Dr. Jonathan Lewis, the acting superintendent of Richmond Public Schools, said the student's wound appeared to be deep.
"School officials say it may have been horseplay. But not a bullying situation. They are still investigating," Jones tweeted. "School officials are in the process of notifying parents. And the school was never placed in lock down." [Click here to follow Sandra on Twitter]
The injured student was taken to VCU Medical Center to get stitches.
That male student was charged with aggravated assault and is facing suspension pending a disciplinary hearing.
Earlier, Richmond Schools spokeswoman Felicia Cosby confirmed there was a stabbing incident that involved two students.
"We do know that the scissors actually belonged to another student. So we don't know if during the course of the day, they may have been working on a project or what have you," said Cosby.
Devon Felder, whose niece attends the school, was surprised it took so long for administrators to notify parents about what happened.
"I have a niece that goes here and I started to go get her, but I thought my mother had already knew what was going on," said Felder.
CBS 6 News asked school officials why it took two hours to alert parents.
"It takes some time for administrators to iron out everything and to be able to know what specifically to articulate to parents," Cosby said.
While some parents expressed disappointment over the school's response, other parents felt differently.
"It seems like they had things under control, so I wasn't really worried when I walked into the school," said Jody Tyler.
