A kindergarten student was struck and injured by a man wielding a curtain rod in Sharon during Wednesday lunch recess, police allege.

York Region police were called shortly before 1 p.m. to Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Elementary School after it was reported a man, armed with a pole, hopped over a fence and into the schoolyard area occupied by kindergarten students and tried to hit children.

The suspect, believed to be from a nearby residence, allegedly struck one boy with the pole, which turned out to be a curtain rod, according to police. The child, a senior kindergarten student, was transported to hospital with serious injuries.

When police arrived, the school was in lockdown and the suspect, who police say has cognitive impairment, was inside a vehicle with a family member, who was caring for him.

School staff and a Good Samaritan were able to remove the weapon from the suspect and get the students back into the school, police said.

“We are grateful for the fast actions of the teachers and volunteers who were able to quickly stop this man from doing more harm,” said one parent on a Facebook page.

One parent, who asked not to be identified, said a mother was walking with her adult son, who appeared to have special needs and was wearing a helmet, along the walkway beside the play area for kindergarten children when she began screaming.

The man scaled the fence and began swinging what appeared to be a metal rod.

There was a volunteer lunch helper and a couple of students who were helping on lunch duty when it happened.

“They were amazing,” the parent said.

The school was placed in lockdown and while teachers in the classrooms closed the blinds, the helpers outside corralled the students together. But one boy, in a panic, bolted in the other direction, she said.

The man allegedly hit that student with the rod.

“We want to have some answers and I think we need to put pressure on them to explain how they are going to prevent this from happening,” the parent said of the school and York Catholic District School Board.

“It could have been way worse.”

The school’s parents were advised of the incident in a letter from the school’s principal, Van Quinn. But parents complained on Facebook that the notice that was sent was “dumbed down,” skipping important details about what happened and what, if anything, the school was going to do to prevent it from happening again.

“The injured student was taken to hospital as a precaution, and police are questioning the assailant who lives in our community with his family and has special needs,” the letter reads.

A 30-year-old man was arrested without further incident and is charged with aggravated assault, assault with a weapon, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose and common nuisance — endanger life.

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The suspect has been held in custody.

Police are not releasing the suspect’s name “due to the other personal information we did release about him,” Const. Laura Nicolle said.