Two Goshen middle school students hospitalized after taking unknown substance

Two C.J. Hooker Middle School students were hospitalized after using an unknown substance on Tuesday, May 3, according to a letter posted by Goshen High School Superintendent Kurtis Kotes. The students said they took the substance before going to school. They were transported from school to the hospital via ambulance, and are now under observation and recovering.

“The district will not communicate until the police department is ready for us to do so, as to not compromise the investigation,” Kotes said in a letter to district parents. “This type of incident is also a medical emergency, and our full attention will always be given to the children who are in crisis, above all else.”

The incident follows a thread of similar overdoses throughout the county. Less than a month ago on April 7, two Goshen High School students were transported to Garnet’s emergency room after taking an unknown substance on campus.

Drug detection dogs were present at Goshen High School and C.J. Hooker Middle School on May 3 as part of a drug sweep that was scheduled in advance with the police department; the sweep did not occur as a result of the overdoses at the middle school.

The district partnered with organizations such as the Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Council of Orange County and New York Project Hope to teach students about the dangers of substance abuse. Just last week, the high school hosted a presentation that discussed the dangers of pills, vaping and THC.

In his letter, Kotes urged parents to speak to their children about the dangers of substance abuse. “I implore our families to have these types of conversations with their children, and to have them often,” he said. “We often say ‘it takes a village’ and we must work together to keep our children safe.”

The Village of Goshen Police Department was not available for comment at press time.