“You would think that would come from an adult, but not a kid in elementary school.”
Two Brooklyn students were arrested on Tuesday after allegedly putting rat poison in a teacher’s water bottle.
The incident happened Monday afternoon at P.S. 315 in Brooklyn, also known as the School of Performing Arts. The boys, ages 9 and 12, were charged as juveniles with reckless endangerment, second-degree assault, and criminal possession of a weapon after the 62-year old teacher drank from the bottle and became sick to her stomach. She was later told by other students what the boys had done and immediately reported the incident to police.
The water bottle was sent to a lab to be tested, but the poison does appear to be rat poison, police said.
Although officials at the school have not responded to a request for comment, the New York City Department of Education said that it is “greatly relieved that the teacher is recovering” and that it will “continue to closely monitor this situation.”
The teacher, recovering but expected to be fine, is also not responding to requests for comment and hung up the phone when contacted by CBS 2.
The boys’ motive for poisoning the teacher is not yet clear.
P.S. 315 serves 849 students from pre-Kindergarten to fifth grade. After hearing of the incident, parents at the school were shocked.
“It’s poison,” parent Derrel Williams said. “It could be given to kids as well. It’s a dangerous situation not to be taken lightly.”
“I think it’s horrible. I just heard about it, and I’m in shock. I’m shaking,” another parent said. “I was thinking that the children are the future, and the future doesn’t seem too promising right now with these things happening in school.”
“This happened on Monday,” said mother Naomi Primus. “It’s Wednesday. Something should have gone out to let parents know.”
Alarmingly, another teacher at P.S. 315, who chose not be identified, said that she believes she was almost poisoned three weeks ago when she noticed the water in her bottle looking grey and murky. When she reported it to school officials, they did nothing.
“Ensuring the safety of our entire schools community is our priority,” the Department of Education said in a statement, “and while this matter is still under investigation, we will take swift and appropriate action.”
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