Citing a rise in heroin, other drugs, and alcohol-related incidents throughout Long Island, the William Floyd High School has proposed a substance abuse treatment clinic.
“We needed to do something to help the kids,” said District Superintendent Paul Casciano, noting that serious disciplinary incidents jumped from 16 in 2008 to 38 last year.
If approved by the Board of Education and the state Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services, a Huntington Station-based treatment clinic will operate out of the school’s counseling center at no cost to the district. Caroline Sullivan, managing director of Daytop Village, said that student clients will be referred for help, ensured confidentiality, and mentored in individual or group sessions.
Theresa Buhse, associate director at the Long Island Crisis Center, called the clinic “an innovative idea” that linked counselors with an at-risk population.
