JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Wolfson High School student was hospitalized after being stabbed by another student before school Wednesday morning, according to a staff member at the school.
Witnesses say the stabbing resulted from a fight about 7:10 a.m. -- minutes before the bell rang for the school day to begin.
The student, who Channel 4 has learned is Michael Johnson, is expected to be OK. Someone posted a photo of Johnson on Instragram being transported to the hospital.
"Mike hit him across the face, and I guess they started throwing hands or whatever, and then they went into the hallway and that's when I saw a bunch of blood on the floor," said student Jorge Hernandez.
Hernandez said a couple girls eventually broke up the fight.
While Duval County School Police have not released details of its investigation, students say Johnson was stabbed twice in the arm with some type of knife.
"The victim that was cut made a beeline toward the perpetrator," School Superintendent Nikolai Vitti said.
Vitti said the student with the knife was arrested and charged with a felony, but he did not provide a name.
Jacksonville Fire and Rescue confirmed the student was transported, but would not provide details because the incident is part of a criminal investigation. The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said the case was being handled by the school police.
Vitti called this is an unfortunate and isolated situation, and "completely unacceptable when it comes (to the) culture in our schools."
Since it was about 20 minutes before class, students said there were no teachers or security personnel around.
"I just think we need a little bit more regulations when it comes to weapons and safety," said another student, Jose Garcia.
While several students said they would welcome metal detectors at Wolfson, Vitti said they are not likely right now because they are too costly and give a false sense of security.
"The best metal detector is (the) relationships you form with children," Vitti said.
Channel 4 crime and safety analyst Ken Jefferson said it's important for parents to talk to their kids about what to do in certain situations, even at school.
"It's a real concern; we as parents always have to send our kids and equip them with knowledge about what to do in certain situations like that," Jefferson said. "We have to constantly train our children and teach them what to do, how to respond and report these things, but it's always a concern in the days and times we live in now that something like this can happen, and unfortunately it did happen at Wolfson High school."
Jefferson said sometimes these incidents can be prevented but said it's impossible for staff and administrators to keep tabs on every student at the school.
"It's going to put them on a higher alert to be watchful and mindful and to be proactive and just watching these students," Jefferson said. "A weapon was introduced at school and it's hard to detect every single student unless they walk through a metal detector. It's almost impossible to screen everybody, that's why it's important for teachers and administrators to be on high alert at all times, watching students as they're coming into school and between classes."