13-Year-Old Boy Arrested After Girl Stabbed Inside Rockport Middle School

ROCKPORT (CBS) – A 13-year-old boy was arrested after he allegedly stabbed a female classmate inside Rockport Middle School Monday morning before classes started.

It happened at 7:30 a.m. on Jerdens Lane. The girl was taken to the hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries.

The school was placed in lockdown as police worked to find the suspect, who ran following the stabbing.

A short time later, police found the 13-year-old suspect nearby. He was arraigned Monday afternoon in Salem Juvenile Court.

After police found there was no further threat, the lockdown was lifted at 9 a.m. and the school day continued.

Parents were allowed to dismiss students for the day. There will be an increased presence at the school for the rest of the day as a precaution.

Leianne Lessard was among the parents to dismiss their children from class.

"It's just troubling in a small area, you wouldn't think it would happen. My daughter is in eighth grade. I'm sure the school is really safe and they're doing a nice job in there. But it's just scary," she said.

Her daughter, Madison Guernsey, said the atmosphere in school was different than most days after the incident.

"It's very quiet and there's a lot of teachers around the hallways, more than usual," she said. "So it's a little strange seeing so many people in the hallway. But most of our classes are completely empty now. There's almost no students left."

Parent Cindy DiZio was at the school and saw the aftermath of the incident.

"I saw a mom run in and I saw her kiss her child as they put the child into the ambulance," said DiZio.