More than a dozen elementary school students in San Jose, California, are being tested for hepatitis and HIV after a classmate reportedly stabbed them with a diabetic lancet he brought to school, WLS-TV reports.
According to officials from the Fremont School District, the student stuck 14 kids before a school employee saw the device, took it away and sent him to the principal’s office. Initially, the student told the principal he had not stuck anyone with the lancet, but the following week, parents started reporting their children had been stabbed.
According to an 8-year-old boy’s recounting of one of the needlestick incidents, the boy with the lancet stopped him on campus and asked him, “Do you like stamps?” After answering yes, the boy said, “Stick out your arm and look away” and poked the boy with the device.
A school district spokesperson said the school has been assisting the 14 families and is working closely with the department of public health to contain the situation. Several students have been tested for hepatitis and HIV in the aftermath (though it’s important to note that it is essentially impossible to transmit HIV via a needle that has been exposed to the open air for so long). They’re still waiting on the results.
School officials also say the student who stuck his fellow classmates has been disciplined.
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