SAN BERNARDINO >> A sixth-grade student at Bing Wong Elementary School reportedly jabbed schoolmates with a hypodermic needle she had found in the street on the way to school.

Families of students were informed of the incident, which took place Thursday, in a letter Principal Ryan Rainbolt sent home Friday afternoon, although rumors of the incident had already spread on social media.

“Our primary concern is always the safety of our students,” Rainbolt’s letter begins.

“On Thursday, about 1 p.m., we were notified that a sixth-grade student had reportedly found a hypodermic needle in the street while walking to school,” the letter continues. “Instead of immediately notifying her teacher, the student kept the needle and it was later used to poke several students during recess.”

The parents and guardians of those students were notified, and one parent took their child to a local hospital as a precaution. Rainbolt encouraged parents and guardians who were concerned that their student might have been exposed to the needle to contact their pediatrician.

“I want to emphasize that the object in question is a hypodermic needle tip without a reservoir or plunger, making it impossible for any substance to be injected,” Rainbolt’s letter continues. “Still, we take this incident very seriously and have taken steps to discipline the student.”

The school district’s police department is investigating the incident.