Uniondale High School boosts security after student slashing, superintendent says
The entry to Uniondale High School. Credit: Rick Kopstein
Uniondale High School has boosted its security protocols after a student slashed two other students with a box-cutter earlier this week, the district's superintendent said Wednesday.
The district has put the heightened security protocols in place at the high school beginning Wednesday for the remainder of the week, evaluating the enhancements at the end of the week to determine if they should continue, Superintendent Monique Darrisaw-Akil said in a letter to families Wednesday afternoon.
New security measures include students, staff, faculty and visitors having to remove laptops and electronics from their bags for examination upon entry, in addition to passing through the existing metal detector. Additional security personnel are assisting with the searches, and more law enforcement officers are on campus, the superintendent said in her letter. School security will also perform regular hall sweeps.
The district continues to “actively” review and strengthen security, the letter said.
“The Uniondale School District has a zero-tolerance policy for instances of violent behavior,” Darrisaw-Akil said. “Please be assured that the well-being of our students, faculty and staff is our main concern.”
The move comes after a 17-year-old girl smuggled a box-cutter into the high school under a laptop in her backpack on Monday, eluding detection by scanning equipment, Darrisaw-Akil said Tuesday. During an argument with two students, ages 17 and 18, the suspect slashed them, causing minor injuries to one girl’s cheek and another’s finger, police said. The suspect faces charges, but her identity was not released by police.
Also Monday, a 12-year-old student stabbed a 13-year-old boy in the upper leg and groin with a 6-inch knife at Lindenhurst Middle School. The victim was airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital and had surgery Monday; his condition was improving Tuesday. Lindenhurst Superintendent Anthony J. Davidson said the boy is expected to be released from care in coming days.
Brinley Hineman covers the Town of Hempstead and the City of Long Beach for Newsday. She previously was a reporter in Nashville, Tennessee, and is a West Virginia native.
