Pocono News Section

Weatherly School Worker Found with Heroin in School

Weatherly School Worker Found with Heroin in School - Wednesday, May 26, 2010 at 04:12AM EST

Reported by: Andy Mehalshick
Wednesday May 26 2010
WEATHERLY, CARBON COUNTY -- Police say the woman worked near elementary students. They're trying to find out whether or not she had heroin inside the school. The investigation is taking place in the Weatherly Area School District.

The woman under investigation is not employed by the Weatherly Area School District. She works for a private agency and helps teachers with children who have special needs. But there are allegations she was carrying heroin while inside the school.

Weatherly police were called to the Weatherly Elementary-Middle School when a school district employee saw what she believed was at least 10 packets of heroin on or near a female teachers assistant.

Weatherly Superintendent Frank Victor said, "I feel very comfortable in the fact that our employee did the right thing. They thought something was suspicious; they followed the right channels and reported it. That person is no longer with our students."

That person is called as a therapeutic staff worker and works for a private agency. She was removed by Weatherly police. She is not being named and has not been charged with a crime.

Of course the big concern is if the children ages 8 to 12 found it and thought it was candy or sugar and ate it, there could have been tragic consequences.

Victor says all school employees and anyone sent in by an outside agency must undergo a criminal background check, which was done with the woman in question.

Pam Kelly has two children that both attend the school. She says she will talk with her kids about the situation. "For a person to have so many small packets on them is very disturbing in a school environment. I was very happy to know she is not an employee of the district but someone from the outside who comes in a couple days a week. I hope they get to the bottom of it," she says.

Superintendent Victor points out that background checks are just that, background. They can't predict what a person will do in the future. He supports random drug tests for anyone who works in a school.

We are also told there is no evidence that the woman was trying to sell the heroin at the school. It was for her personal use. Weatherly police are investigating and have not released any further information.