6-year-old pricked by hypodermic needle at school: Report

A 6-year-old boy was stuck by a hypodermic needle while at his Roxbury school, the Boston Herald reported.

Kristin Torres, of Jamaica Plain, told the Herald that her son Charlie was collecting leaves at Ellis Elementary School for composting on Monday when his palm was pricked twice by the discarded needle.

“This is horrifying,” Torres said in a quote to the Herald. “This is a nightmare for any parent — just going to school isn’t even safe anymore. They can’t go and play and not have to worry about getting stabbed by a needle. It makes you cringe.”

Her child had to be tested for HIV, hepatitis C and hepatitis B. In July a 7-year-old girl reportedly went on precautionary medicine to treat HIV after she was stuck by a needle at a playground in Hyde Park.

The needle from the Roxbury school was found and disposed of, according to the Herald, while Boston police in a statement said “the school will do everything it can to educate its students about the dangers of needles and prevent such an incident from reoccurring.”

But Torres still said the incident has prompted her to move her family out of the city.