A mother has been charged after allegedly stabbing a "gentle and caring" teacher with scissors at a primary school in Byron Bay in New South Wales.
The woman, 31, is accused of stabbing 28-year-old teacher Zane Vockler in the face and arm at Byron Bay Public School about 7am on Tuesday.
Police allege the two were "speaking on the premises before she approached him with what's believed to be a pair of scissors".
The teacher was initially taken to a local hospital before being transferred to Tweed Hospital in a stable condition for surgery.
A crime scene was established and the school temporarily locked down as police searched for the accused parent.
Officers arrested the mother at a home in nearby Suffolk Park about three hours later.
She was charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and entering enclosed lands without a lawful excuse and will face Tweed Heads Local Court on Wednesday.
Inspector Chad Deegenaars said it wasn't a random attack.
"There was never any stage where students were at risk," he told AAP.
"It seems to be very isolated and not an ongoing or common problem."
One parent wrote on Facebook that her child saw a "pool of blood" near the school's library.
Another local said it was sad to hear about the attack on the first day back at school after the holiday break.
"The most lovely teacher," he wrote on Facebook.
"So undeserving of this. May his recovery and healing be swift."
School newsletters reveal Mr Vockler is an active staff member. He's helped organise parent volunteers for the school garden and played the guitar for visiting grandparents.
The NSW education department said strict security measures were put in place on Tuesday until it was safe for the school to begin operating normally again.
"Counselling has been made available to staff and students," a spokesman told AAP in a statement.
The school faced another issue recently when a threatening comment about the principal was posted on social media, according to one local.
The threat came after a "concerned parent" launched a petition to pressure the principal to remove the school's WiFi over fears it could "microwave kids".
The petition attracted more than 250 signatures in a month.
