For Immediate Release
Tuesday, March 26, 2019
Media Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]
Arlington Police, Schools Acting after Girls are Stuck by Used Syringe
Girls were Stuck with Needle while Playing Outside During Recreation Department Program
Facilities Staff at all Arlington Public Schools to Check Grounds and Perimeters at all Buildings
ARLINGTON — Town government leaders in Arlington are taking action after two girls were stuck by a used, discarded syringe while playing outside a school in town during an after-school program.
Arlington Police responded to the Foster Street side of the Gibbs Middle School at 4 p.m. Tuesday for a medical call. Upon arrival, officers spoke with the director of the Arlington Recreation Kid Care program who reported that a 5-year-old girl and a 7-year-old girl were playing outside when, according to the girls, one of them picked up a syringe and was stuck in the hand by the needle. A second girl removed the needle from the first girl’s hand, and she was stuck as well.
Police officers treated the girls until firefighters and Armstrong Ambulance medics arrived. The syringe was placed in a sharps container, and the girls were transported to Winchester Hospital for tests and treatment. Medical officials will conduct tests on the syringe to determine any further care that the girls may need.
Superintendent of Schools Kathleen Bodie, Police Chief Julie Flaherty, Health and Human Services Director Christine Bongiorno, Town Manager Adam Chapdelaine, and support staff from throughout Arlington town government will meet Wednesday morning to determine an appropriate response and plan of action.
“It is extremely concerning that a hypodermic needle would be so carelessly disposed of on the ground of a school, where children constantly gather, walk and play,” Superintendent Bodie said. “We are instructing facilities staff at all of our buildings to conduct extensive and scheduled searches of the grounds and perimeters to ensure that if anything else is out there, that it is immediately and safely disposed of.”
Additional announcements are expected from town officials on Wednesday.
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