Parents, teachers, and students of a Roxbury K-8 school held a walkout Tuesday to protest the growing number of needles found littering school grounds.
The problem is significant enough that Boston Public Schools teaches the students at Orchard Gardens to “stop, turn, and tell” when they find hypodermic needles lying around.
Tuesday’s walkout was aimed at making it clear that a saying isn’t enough to keep students safe.
Orchard Gardens teacher Jackie Mulvehill said, “It’s gotten to the point where I’ve had to call 911 because our students have been dismissed and I’ve seen three people shooting up within 10 yards of the school.
Boston Public Schools says the school’s custodial staff and a city-run needle disposal unit patrol the school grounds every morning in a hunt for used hypodermic needles.
But despite these measures, parents say their children are still finding needles.