Officials: Students pricked by needles while at Orange County school

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Parents at an Orlando Elementary School are upset after they learned several students were pricked with medical needles they picked up on their way to school earlier this week.

Some Ridgewood Park Elementary School students had been stuck with needles at the school, but parents said they didn't get a recorded call from the principal until Wednesday.

"The students reported that these items were found on their way to school and some students stated they were either pricked or pricked each other," said Vanessa Morrow, Ridgewood Elementary School principal.

Morrow told parents the needles are lancets, which are commonly used by diabetics to test blood sugar.

"This kid found it on the street and brought it into school and started pricking people," said student Camryn Powers.

The Department of Children and Families was also called to investigate because of allegations of inadequate supervision by the school personnel.

"I was very upset, because you don't know what kind of diseases that these kids could have been spreading," said parent Jarhea Warner.

Investigators said they have the needles as evidence.

The sheriff's department said detectives are investigating but won't say if the needles were used or will be tested.

Results will be turned over to the district's employee relations, and it's conducting its own investigation.

The district said that as soon as the principal learned what happened, she reported it.

But, what the district is looking into now is if staff knew about the children getting poked and didn't take any steps to protect their safety.

DCF is looking into how many students may have been pricked and whether staff knew what happened but didn't report it immediately. It will turn the findings from its investigation over to the school district when finished.

WFTV