NEW DORP, Staten Island (WABC) -- Hypodermic needles were found at a playground next to an elementary school on Staten Island.
A mother photographed three needles near a tree in a park, next to PS 41 in the New Dorp section on Monday afternoon.
She says there was also a fourth needle, you don't see in this photo.
"My first thought as a parent, you know my son is 16-months-old, he puts everything in his mouth, but my second thought was if a child is coming out of school where the doors are right there, what if he trips and falls and his hand touches a needle, you know, that's really scary," said Ashley Grande, a parent.
The Department of Education says the needles were immediately reported to police and safely discarded.
It says the school is now conducting daily sweeps of the area.
Staten Island mom finds hypodermic needles in park next to school
