School principal charged with sneaking drugs into NY prison

NEW YORK - A New York City elementary school principal was arrested Friday on charges of trying to smuggle drugs into a maximum-security upstate prison.

CBS New York reports that P.S. 28 principal Sadie Silver and Michael Acosta, a man described as her boyfriend, tried to sneak heroin and painkillers into Coxsackie Correctional Facility, where Silver's son is behind bars for weapons charges.

Police say the 40-year-old Silver and Michael Acosta had a 10-year-old child with them.

Silver and Acosta, who's 34, face felony charges of promoting prison contraband and criminal possession of a controlled substance as well as a misdemeanor charge of endangering the welfare of a child.

Authorities say Silver did not have any drugs in her possession, but they believe she was conspiring with Acosta, who attempted to smuggle the drugs into the prison inside of tiny balloons, according to CBS New York.

Silver had just made headlines for drastically improving the school's reading scores, but now faces a maximum of 8 years behind bars, says the station.

Silver and Acosta have been released on bond. Information on their attorneys was not available.

Education officials have reassigned Silver to an administrative center away from students.