Meriden, CT
Schools
Meriden Student Charged With Sparking Bathroom Fire At Middle School — 4 Injured Meriden Student Charged With Sparking Bathroom Fire At Middle School — 4 Injured
Meriden Student Charged With Sparking Bathroom Fire At Middle School — 4 Injured When fire alarms went off at Washington Middle School in Meriden on Monday, May 19, it seemed like a typical drill. But it quickly turned into a real emergency. Students were rushed out of the building and gathered at Falcon Field as fire crews responded to a reported blaze inside the school. Meriden firefighters found a fire had been set in a second-floor girls’ bathroom using paper towels. The building filled with smoke and the strong smell of fire, and crews had to work fast to clear the air. Three school employees were taken to MidState Medical Center to be checked for smoke exposure. A…

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by Josh Lanier
Morristown, NJ
Police & Fire
He Came For Transcripts With A Loaded Gun, Morristown Officials Say: Ex-Student Arrested He Came For Transcripts With A Loaded Gun, Morristown Officials Say: Ex-Student Arrested
He Came For Transcripts With A Loaded Gun, Morristown Officials Say: Ex-Student Arrested A former Morristown High School student was found carrying a loaded and defaced handgun after he entered the school to request transcripts earlier this month, officials said. The arrest came after an earlier incident on Thursday, May 8, when police received a photo and video showing the same individual removing what appeared to be a two-tone handgun from his waistband and hiding it inside a green tote bag at 28 Clyde Potts Drive, according to Mayor Timothy Dougherty and Morristown officials The video was circulated to all Morristown police as part of an officer safety memo. Days later, the…

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by Cecilia Levine
Triangle-Dumfries, VA
Schools
Henderson Elementary School Custodian Slapped 8-Year-Old In Cafeteria: PWC Police Henderson Elementary School Custodian Slapped 8-Year-Old In Cafeteria: PWC Police
Henderson Elementary School Custodian Slapped 8-Year-Old In Cafeteria: PWC Police A Virginia elementary school custodian is facing charges after allegedly smacking an 8-year-old student in the cafeteria, according to Prince William County Police. Miguel Ismael Gonzales Carmona, 76, is accused of slapping the back of the boy’s head during a brief encounter at Henderson Elementary School in Dumfries on Friday, May 16.  The two reportedly separated after the incident, and the child told school staff what happened on Monday, May 19, police said.  No serious injuries were reported. Following the investigation, Carmona, a Dumfries resident, was arrested that same d…

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by Zak Failla
Coxsackie-Athens, NY
Schools
Student’s Fentanyl-Laced Vape Scare Prompts Urgent Warning From Coxsackie School District Student’s Fentanyl-Laced Vape Scare Prompts Urgent Warning From Coxsackie School District
Student’s Fentanyl-Laced Vape Scare Prompts Urgent Warning From Coxsackie School District A frightening incident at a New York school has prompted a stern warning from educators about the dangers of black-market marijuana products. In a letter sent to parents on Monday, May 19, the Coxsackie-Athens Central School District detailed a recent case in central New York where a student collapsed on campus after taking a single puff from a marijuana vape. The vape, which was later tested, came back positive for fentanyl—a powerful synthetic opioid, Superintendent Randy Squie said. The student was administered multiple doses of Narcan, a life-saving medication used to reverse opioid ove…

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by Michael Mashburn
Poughkeepsie, NY
Schools
Arlington HS Employee Under Investigation For Inappropriate Conduct: Officials Arlington HS Employee Under Investigation For Inappropriate Conduct: Officials
Arlington HS Employee Under Investigation For Inappropriate Conduct: Officials A staff member at a Dutchess County high school has been placed on administrative leave following allegations of inappropriate conduct, school district and law enforcement officials confirmed.  In a letter sent to families on Thursday, May 15, Arlington Central School District Superintendent Philip Benante acknowledged the serious nature of the report and said the district, which includes large parts of the towns of LaGrange, Pleasant Valley, Beekman, Poughkeepsie, and Union Vale, acted swiftly after learning of the allegations.  "Upon receiving this report, we immediately no…

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by Ben Crnic
Wayne, NJ
Police & Fire
Teen Stabbed In Cafeteria Fight By Older Classmate In Wayne: Police Teen Stabbed In Cafeteria Fight By Older Classmate In Wayne: Police
Teen Stabbed In Cafeteria Fight By Older Classmate In Wayne: Police A 14-year-old student was stabbed multiple times in the chest during a fight inside a Wayne school cafeteria on Monday, May 19, local police said. The incident occurred just after 12:30 p.m. at the Lakeview Learning Center on Van Duyne Avenue, Wayne Police Chief Joseph Rooney said. School staff reported that the victim was bleeding heavily from stab wounds to the chest and that the offender was in the lower level of the school,” the chief said in a statement. Officers arrived and immediately treated the victim, while others located and arrested the suspect. The knife believed to have been …

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by Cecilia Levine
Mount Vernon, NY
Schools
Mount Vernon Schools Pick New Leader Amid Budget, Enrollment Challenges Mount Vernon Schools Pick New Leader Amid Budget, Enrollment Challenges
Mount Vernon Schools Pick New Leader Amid Budget, Enrollment Challenges A Westchester County school district has selected a new leader to guide it through one of the most challenging periods in its recent history. In a unanimous vote on Wednesday, May 14, the Mount Vernon Board of Education appointed Dr. Demario A. Strickland as the district’s new Superintendent of Schools, effective Tuesday, July 1.  Dr. Strickland currently serves as interim superintendent for the Rochester City School District and brings nearly two decades of educational leadership experience to his new role in Westchester County, district officials said.  The appointment comes ju…

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by Ben Crnic
Bellport-Brookhaven-East Patchogue, NY
Schools
Principal Suspended Amid Parent Outcry Over Leadership Concerns At Middle Island School Principal Suspended Amid Parent Outcry Over Leadership Concerns At Middle Island School
Principal Suspended Amid Parent Outcry Over Leadership Concerns At Middle Island School A Long Island school principal has been suspended amid growing community backlash over his leadership and alleged mismanagement. Daniel McKeon, the principal of Longwood Middle School in Middle Island, has been placed on “administrative reassignment," district superintendent Lance Lohman confirmed in a letter to parents. While Lohman declined to provide specifics, citing personnel confidentiality, the move came as a since-deleted Change.org petition calling for McKeon’s dismissal gained traction. The petition, started by a group of concerned parents and community members, accused McKe…

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by Michael Mashburn
Trumbull-Monroe, CT
Schools
Double Trouble At Trumbull High: Firefighters Tackle Major Leak, Minor Fire Hours Apart Double Trouble At Trumbull High: Firefighters Tackle Major Leak, Minor Fire Hours Apart
Double Trouble At Trumbull High: Firefighters Tackle Major Leak, Minor Fire Hours Apart Firefighters were called to Trumbull High School twice in less than six hours after two unrelated incidents sent emergency crews scrambling Thursday night and early Friday morning. The first call came at 8:24 p.m., Thursday, May 15, when Trumbull firefighters responded to a 100-gallon glycol spill from a broken pipe that flooded the school, authorities said.  Firefighters worked to contain the spill and reduce any danger. Building maintenance quickly shut down the HVAC system to stop the chemical from spreading through the air. Once the area was deemed safe, the scene was turned over …

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by Josh Lanier
Kennett Square-Landenberg, PA
Schools
Drunk Dad With Bulging Pants At Kennett Middle School Found With Loaded Gun: Police Drunk Dad With Bulging Pants At Kennett Middle School Found With Loaded Gun: Police
Drunk Dad With Bulging Pants At Kennett Middle School Found With Loaded Gun: Police An intoxicated man armed with a loaded pistol tried to pick up a child he wasn’t authorized to retrieve from a Chester County middle school, police announced on Thursday, May 15.  Joseph L. Lawthers, 30, showed up at Kennett Middle School at 195 SunnyDell Road in Landenberg at 3:20 p.m. on Wednesday, May 14, well after dismissal had ended, according to Southern Chester County Regional Police. Staff immediately activated safety protocols after determining Lawthers was not on the approved list to pick up the child. He was kept outside in the secure vestibule where the school resource off…

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by Jillian Pikora
Sicklerville-Winslow, NJ
Police & Fire
Student Brought Gun To Winslow Elementary School: Police Student Brought Gun To Winslow Elementary School: Police
Student Brought Gun To Winslow Elementary School: Police A student brought a handgun to Winslow Township Upper Elementary School on Wednesday, May 14, authorities said. At 3 p.m., officers responded to the school after a student was showing classmates a "BB gun," Winslow Township police said. The student was quickly identified and staff took possession of the weapon, which was later identified as a handgun, police said. The handgun was not loaded, police said. There were no immediate threats made or intended against staff or students, police said. The student and their guardian have been charged, police said. Police said they would not be r…

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by Sam Barron
Waldorf, MD
Schools
Florida Man Left Loaded Gun In Car—9-Year-Old Took It To Charles County School, Sheriff Says Florida Man Left Loaded Gun In Car—9-Year-Old Took It To Charles County School, Sheriff Says
Florida Man Left Loaded Gun In Car—9-Year-Old Took It To Charles County School, Sheriff Says A Florida man who left his loaded gun in a car before a 9-year-old brought it to school — where it later discharged inside a Maryland classroom — is now facing charges, police announced. Phillip McRay Bright, 68, of Crestview, Florida, has been charged in connection with the April 10 firearm incident at Billingsley Elementary School in Waldorf, according to the Charles County Sheriff’s Office. Investigators say the 9-year-old student accidentally fired the gun inside a classroom after stashing it in his backpack days earlier.  No one was injured, but the incident sparked a lockdown an…

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by Zak Failla