A spokesperson from the Suffolk County Police Department's Second Precinct confirmed that a 16-year-old student was arrested at Northport High School on Wednesday and charged with acting in a manner to injure a child for allegedly giving a prescription drug to a 14-year-old student.
Superintendent Marylou McDermott declined to give particulars on the incident. District Clerk Beth Nystrom confirmed that the superintendent doesn't comment on issues pertaining to individual students.
The Northport Board of Education is pursuing the use of drug-sniffing dogs at the High School, an at a board meeting Aug. 31. There would be no charge to the district for the service, which would be conducted by the police department, but parents would need to be notified in advance.
At the Sept. 26 BOE meeting, Principal Irene McLaughlin suggested that students should be involved in the discussion as well, perhaps through representatives from the Student Council.
Trustee Donna McNaughton stressed the need to engage all members of the community, including the Drug and Alcohol Task Force, and suggested that a bulleted set of talking points about the use of dogs be posted on the district's website. She said she'd heard from one parent who suggested that sweeps should be conducted at the middle school level as well.
McDermott emphasized the proactive and rehabilitative nature of the sweeps saying, "We're watching out for them (students)."
