MANVEL, Texas – Alvin Independent School District officials said 250 high school students were pulled out of school early Friday after two disturbing incidents.
According to a district spokesperson, Manvel High School was briefly placed on lockdown Friday morning after school officials got a tip that a student was on campus with a gun.
Alvin ISD police were able to track that student down before he could arrive at school, officials said. He was questioned at his home where no weapon was found.
District spokesperson Daniel Combs said the student didn't go to school Friday but is not expected to face any charges.
A few hours later, parents were notified once again by school administrators about a completely unrelated incident.
Alvin ISD officials said around lunch time two students got into an argument in the hallway.
The district said a freshman boy pulled out a small pocket knife and stabbed a senior twice -- once in the shoulder and once in the leg.
"(The stabbing) happened six feet in front of me," said freshman Giavani Prince. "(The victim) didn't have a knife. He was saying, 'Fight like a man.' Once it happened, I called my mom and told her to come pick me up. I don't feel safe."
Prince was one of 250 students whose parents picked them up early Friday.
"My heart's still kind of pounding," Prince's mother Greta Pines said after removing her son from school. "I think that is really sad. I had to drop everything I was doing to come over here and try to get him in a safe environment."
Officials said the stabbing victim suffered minor injuries and was treated by paramedics at the school. His parents took him to a doctor for further evaluation.
The district said the accused freshman was taken into custody by Alvin ISD police and charged with aggravated assault.
According to the Texas Education Agency, there were four dozen reported fights at Manvel High School in the 2011-12 and 2012-13 school years -- numbers not out of the ordinary for similar-sized schools in the area.
"It's crazy," said Tamisha Wiley, another parent who pulled her son out of Manvel High School Friday. "Things are happening in places we least expect it. So we just never know. Better safe than sorry. (My son) is going home for the day."
Alvin ISD officials said in a statement, "There is no reason to believe a safety concern exists. Please be assured we will keep the parents of our students informed should additional information become available. The safety of all students will remain the top priority of Alvin ISD."
District officials added that security at Manvel High School will remain heightened throughout next week.