Parents have described the alleged stabbing of a teenage boy with a chisel at a north Canberra college as ''disturbing'', but have defended the school's reputation and said student withdrawals were unlikely.
Melba Copland Secondary School went into lockdown at midday yesterday - in the first week of the school year - after a 15-year-old student was allegedly stabbed with a chisel.
The young boy suffered a single stab wound to the back and was given first aid by staff before being taken to Canberra Hospital, police said.
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He was in a stable condition late yesterday, and his injuries were not life threatening, according to police.
Police arrested and charged a 16-year-old student.
The school remained tight-lipped about the incident yesterday, and students had been told not to speak with the media.
But the school's P&C association has spoken with The Canberra Times in defence of the college, saying it had responded to the alleged stabbing appropriately.
Melba Copland Secondary Collage P&C president Jane Tullis said parents were shocked by the incident, but did not expect any students to be withdrawn from the school.
''I have every confidence that the parents would be shocked as I am, it's a disappointing circumstance,'' Ms Tullis said.
Ms Tullis said, ''But we have a lovely school, we have a good, strong school community.
''Some schools are rougher than others ... but this is not one of them. This is a great school.''
Ms Tullis said the school had regularly practised lockdown procedures, and said staff had done the right thing in immediately referring the alleged stabbing to police. She said any move to remove dangerous implements, such as chisels, from the school would be an unjustified, knee-jerk reaction.
ACT Policing's Sergeant Stephen Booth said disturbances within ACT schools were uncommon. He said Melba Copland College and the Education and Training Directorate would provide support to staff and students who were involved or witnessed the incident.
''This one has escalated to a fairly serious point, but the school response to it was very good,'' Sergeant Booth said.
''The school was locked down very quickly and appropriately and the staff were able to assist us in identifying a number of staff and students who were witnesses to the incident.''
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