By Lucy Cormack
A student has been charged after eight other students from a western Sydney high school were allegedly pricked with a used syringe found at a local bus stop.
Emergency services were called to Plumpton High School shortly before midday on Thursday, in response to a report that eight young people had been pricked with a needle.
Four ambulances and seven paramedics went to the school to assess the eight students.
There were no serious injuries and none of the students required treatment, although an ambulance spokesman said all would be taken to a local hospital or GP for a series of tests, "to eliminate risks of hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV".
The victims, all aged 14, now have an anxious wait ahead of them.
NSW Police confirmed on Thursday they were investigating, describing it as a "prank gone wrong".
"At this stage, we believe it was a prank gone wrong, maybe childish behaviour, but we'll be looking into if there was malicious intent involved in this incident," acting Inspector Shane Rolls told reporters at the school.
Just after 6pm on Thursday, officers arrested a 14-year-old boy at a Glendenning home.
Police and ambulance officers attend Plumpton High School after the needle "prank". Credit: AAP
The boy was taken to Mount Druitt police station, and charged with five counts of assault.
Granted conditional bail, the teen will appear at a children's court on November 6.
A mother, whose son attends Plumpton High School, said the school was locked down after the incident and left "everyone" scared.
"My son told me it was a boy [who] found a needle at the bus stop and started going around stabbing people in the bum with it," said the woman, who has asked not to be named.
She said she was angry and concerned that such an event could take place at the school.
"We didn't even get told [by the school]. I found out on the live news feed," she said.
A woman speaks to someone through the fence as NSW Police and NSW Ambulance attend Plumpton High School.Credit: AAP
In a statement, a spokesman for the NSW Department of Education said the parents of the affected children were immediately notified and police were continuing to investigate.
"The school will be taking strong disciplinary action against this student," he said.
"Staff and students are being supported and additional resources have been deployed to the school to assist, including counselling support."
It is understood the school is working on communications about the incident for the wider school community.
with AAP