Drug sweeps at Middletown High School and Twin Towers Middle School were conducted on Wednesday, May 24, 2006. No illegal substances were found in lockers or common areas at either school.

K-9 units from the City of Newburgh, Saugerties, Cold Spring, the Orange County Sheriff's Office and the Village of Monticello Police, in conjunction with the City of Middletown Police Department, Lt. Paul Rickard, and district administration, conducted the search. No warning was given to students, staff or faculty.

Planning for the sweeps began about a month ago. The sweeps were conducted randomly this morning and not in response to a tip or any suspicions. According to Ken Haverlan, Director of Health, Security and Safety, sweeps will continue to be conducted at the high school and middle schools randomly throughout the school year. The sweeps are part of an ongoing effort by the district to keep students and buildings safe.

This is the second time that Middletown High School was the site of a drug sweep this school year. In mid-November 2005, K-9 units found no illegal substances in lockers or common areas at the school.

At left: A K-9 Unit searches lockers at Twin Towers Middle School. The search was conducted at approximately 9:30 a.m. Wednesday morning at the school in cooperation with the Middletown Police Department. No illegal substances were found at the middle school.