Employee at Hobomock Elementary School in Pembroke off the job after cannabis incident
PEMBROKE - An employee at Hobomock Elementary School in Pembroke is off the job after the superintendent said they brought a small amount of cannabis to school and a student accessed it.
Pembroke parents have been asking how the 9-year-old student got their hands the marijuana edible.
"You expect everybody to come in and do their job, and that's what you hope they do and when people make mistakes hopefully, you know they learn from it," said parent Oscar Lezama.
The superintendent says on Friday morning, a paraprofessional brought a backpack into the classroom with a cannabis product.
Parents tell WBZ-TV the boy opened that backpack and took the edible from the male staffer's backpack. The child was rushed to a hospital to be checked out and is expected to be OK.
"It's really hard because you want to bring your child to a school where you feel safe," said parent Karen Brooks.
The staffer is now on administrative leave. While marijuana is legal in Massachusetts, officials say under the drug free workplace policy, having or using controlled substances and alcohol at schools is strictly prohibited.
In a letter to parents, the school district said, "we remain deeply committed to protecting all our students and staff and maintaining safe, healthy learning environments."
Parents in the community say it's a teachable moment for the staffer, the student and parents.
"It's legal in Massachusetts and adults have that right to do what they want but having the right judgment to keep it away from the kids don't bring it into school," Brooks said.
Pembroke police and the state Department of Children and Families is now investigating.