Students claim school guard took blood from their fingers
By JEFFREY GOLD
Associated Press Writer
April 1, 2005, 5:12 PM EST
NEWARK, N.J. -- A school security guard took blood samples from middle school students without permission from parents, raising concerns that disease may have been spread among the children, according to a lawsuit filed on behalf of five children.
Parents on Friday said that accounts given by their children indicate the guard may have used a diabetic testing device to prick their fingers, but did not clean its needle between uses and may have used it herself.
No illness has been reported among the five, but test results on some are still pending, the parents said.
Their lawsuit cites six incidents at Battin Middle School in Elizabeth from April to November, in which blood was taken by guard Mildred Romero, often in a basement corridor of the school's alternative education section.
"There's no way of telling how many other students may have been the victims of this blood sampling," said a lawyer for the families, Leonard F. Rappa.
Parents of the children expressed concern and amazement. They said they don't know why Romero would draw blood from their sons, none of whom are diabetic.
"It's unbelievable. I feel betrayed, myself, because I couldn't believe something like this could happen inside a school," said Regina Belton, mother of 13-year-old Rodney Belton.
Joyce Youngblood, mother of 14-year-old Olajuan, said, "His health is good, but I've been very worried." The boy has asked if he has HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, she said. "I'm trying to assure him that he doesn't have it, even though I don't have his tests."
The lawsuit was filed Thursday in state Superior Court for Union County against the Elizabeth Board of Education, Romero and Deborah A. Robinson, supervisor of the alternative education section at Battin.
Board attorney Kirk C. Nelson confirmed he got the lawsuit Friday, but declined to comment. "We will more than likely make some sort of statement later on, but at this point, we can't comment on it," Nelson said.
Romero, of Elizabeth, could not immediately be reached for comment. Her address had an unlisted phone number.
Parents said school officials told them Romero was fired and that they have not seen her at the school since December, Robinson began notifying them of the blood sampling.
Robinson, whose address was not given in the lawsuit, could not be reached for comment. Messages left at several area listings for Deborah Robinson were not immediately returned.
Three mothers of children named as victims said Friday that they learned of the blood sampling after Robinson called them to the school, two in December and one in January.
"I was told to get my son tested for AIDS and every other kind of test because there was an incident at the school," Belton said. Initial results show no disease, she said.
School officials said the district would cover the cost of testing, but have not repaid them, the mothers said.
Milagros Cruz said her son Christopher, 15, was stuck three times by Romero. "My son told me, `She used the same needle for all of us."'
Cruz and Youngblood await test results for their sons.
Romero told Rodney that she wanted to test his blood sugar, Belton said. The guard took one sample, but the boy refused a later request, his mother said.
In charging that the unlawful sampling exposed the children to disease, the lawsuit accused the defendants of failing in their duty to protect children in their care.
The lawsuit seeks payment for medical care, which it claims has exceeded $3,600 for each family, and continued medical monitoring, as well as unspecified compensatory and punitive monetary damages.
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May 30, 3:11 am my little girl was born.
Un-frickin-believable! I'm a diabetic, and all I can think is that this security guard is downright crazy. There is only one reason to prick someone's fingers--to draw a single drop of blood for glucose testing. There might be a few other bloods tests that can be performed with a single drop, but nothing I've ever heard of.
But what business does she have doing so anyway? A security guard instead of a nurse? Using the same single use lancet on multiple children? She has to be off her rocker in some way.
OK, so she's fired and now she's being sued by the parents. Where the heck are the criminal charges?!
Man, I can hardly wait until my son gets to be that age with all of the crazy wackos running the schools.
I guess I'll just have to give him a blanket permission to use the 'nut punch' if some adult tries to intimidate him.
Life's going to be interesting.
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Obamanfreude - 1. taking pleasure from the misfortunes of an Obama supporter as he or she is adversely affected by the policies of their Dear Leader.
If there's any saving grace is that barring any disaster, my son is going to a parochial school when he's older.
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Obamanfreude - 1. taking pleasure from the misfortunes of an Obama supporter as he or she is adversely affected by the policies of their Dear Leader.
If there's any saving grace is that barring any disaster, my son is going to a parochial school when he's older.
Start saving NOW. It's actually not that bad, except for the fact you get raped for the "pubic" schools as well.
for instance, the two local schools by me are St. Mary's in Waukesha and Waukesha Catholic Memorial -- WCM is consistently considered the BEST high school in the state, very rigid curriculum.
St. Mary's is about $1,500/year for parishoners and $2000/year for non.
WCM is about $5K/year.
Both are at least 2.5X cheaper than the public schools.
This is just too scary........
