Arlington Girls Stuck By Used Needle While Playing At School

ARLINGTON, MA — Two young girls were stuck by a used syringe while playing outside an Arlington school Tuesday afternoon, town officials said. Police went to the Foster Street side of Gibbs Middle School around 4 p.m. and spoke with the director of the Arlington Recreation Kid Care program, who said a 5-year-old girl and 7-year-old girl were stuck by the needle.

The girls told the director they were playing outside when one of them picked up the syringe and was stuck in the hand. The second girl was stuck in the process of removing the needle from the first girl's hand.

The syringe was placed in a sharps container and the girls were taken to Winchester Hospital for tests and treatment. The syringe will be tested to determine whether the girls will need further care, town officials said.

Arlington 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 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," Bodie said in a statement. "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.