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Some parents said they were angry after students were placed on lockdown at a West Side high school after a student was attacked by classmates.


"This is not a prison -- this is a Chicago Public School," said parent Veronica Marrufo. "I mean, what is this?"


A security guard and a student were slightly injured when they were stabbed during a fight between the student and another student at Farragut Career Academy on the West Side Wednesday morning.


The fight occurred at about 11 a.m. at the high school, at 2345 S. Christiana Ave., Harrison Area Detective Robert McClain said.


School officials said they were later forced to lock down the entire building following a second altercation. It was only the third time in 10 years that the school has had to have a lockdown.


"Lockdown, I guess is a term that might have a bad connotation and associated with other facilities," said Capt. Bob Zavala of the Chicago Police Department. "However, this is good for the students at this point because it keeps them calm."


Some parents were upset by the lockdown connotation and removed their children, including one survivor of Hurricane Katrina.


"We are Katrina survivors," said Carrie Kelly, whose son attends Farragut. "And my young son here risked his life saving a lot of people down in New Orleans. And now this."


"I've been through a storm, and I ain't trying to get in another one," said Calvin Williams, another hurricane survivor who attends Farragut. "So I just try to stay to myself."


The principal said September is a month where the staff is on alert, NBC5's Anita Padilla said. Sixteen security guards check 2,500 students every single day.


Just two days ago, Chicago Public School officials touted Farragut as a shining example for the city because of the innovative programs there. But principal Edward Guerra said the incident gave the students and the school a black eye. Guerra said the actions of one student hurts the reputation of the school, Padilla reported.


Differing from initial police reports, CPS spokeswoman Celeste Garrett said the weapon used in the stabbing was a pencil, not a knife.


She said although CPS did not have an official report as of 4:30 p.m., CPS officials had just called her and were "very adamant" that a pencil was used in the "so-called stabbing."


She also did not think the incident was gang-related.


"It was just one kid who was mad at the other kid," Garrett said.


She said she did not know the ages or grades of the students involved.


Police News Affairs Officer John Mirabelli said detectives were still questioning three people as of 4:35 p.m., but no charges had been filed.


He said he did not know if the weapon used was a pencil or a knife, as police had said initially.


The people stabbed had superficial cuts, McClain said.


He said he did not know if the guard was taken to a hospital, but the student was taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital in good condition.


He said he did not know if the school was equipped with metal detectors. But a woman who answered a phone at the school said it did have metal detectors. She said officials do not know how the student brought the knife into the building.


Mike Vaughn, Chicago Public Schools spokesman, said he heard about the incident but would not comment until he talked to police.


He did say that all Chicago public high schools are equipped with some kind of metal detector, either "walk-through or hand-held."


"Three people of interest" were in police custody, police News Affairs Officer Carlos Herrera said.


He said he did not know if they were students or if one of them was responsible for the stabbing. No one had been charged as of 2:30 p.m., and the details of what exactly happened were still being worked out, he said.


The identities or ages of those in custody were not available.

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