TDSB urges caution after two cases of kids finding syringes

Board, police advise parents talk to children about the need to report sharp, dangerous items

Parents are urged to talk with their kids about reporting sharp and dangerous items while at school, a Toronto District School Board spokesperson said after two reported cases of children finding used syringes in less than a week.

“Unfortunately, this is something that some of our schools do face,” TDSB spokesperson Ryan Bird said Wednesday in an interview.

“While it is something that we do experience from time to time, it doesn’t seem, from what I can tell, any different from previous years.”

Bird is recommending that parents “have a conversation” with their children about the importance of reporting dangerous items to teachers and other adults.

“If anything happens, if you’re concerned about something, if you find something and you don't know what it is, tell a teacher, tell an adult,” he said.

Three 5-year-old children were taken to hospital last Wednesday after they picked up discarded syringes at St.Vincent de Paul Catholic School which is located near Roncesvalles Ave. on Fermanagh Ave.

A child picked up a discarded syringe Monday morning on the playground of Montrose Junior Public School.

This is the first time discarded syringes have been found at Montrose School, near Harbord St. and Ossington Ave., Bird said.

Police said the child was not poked and all needles were disposed of appropriately.

The TDSB has sent an information letter to Montrose School parents but does not plan to issue any system-wide initiatives or policies about syringes, Bird said.

Police said they have seen an increase in people stumbling upon discarded syringes in public spaces over the last several days, including some instances at or near schools that have not been released to the public, said Const. David Hopkinson in an interview Monday with the Star.

“It presents a danger, and we want to remind parents to have a conversation with their kids about the dangers of syringes,” said Hopkinson in a previous interview.