Clay Davenport
Cerebral Nomad
BELMAR — Jessica Frattalone never thought chewing gum in school would come back to bite her.
Last week, a 5-foot-long, 6-inch-thick boa constrictor, housed in a science classroom at St. Rose High School, attacked the 16-year-old sophomore while she was being held after school for detention.
"Puncture wounds, a slight bruising of the skin was noticeable," Police Chief Jack Hill said. "There was no indication it was serious, but she went to her doctor and she was given medicine — antibiotics."
According to a police report, the attack occurred about 2:30 p.m. Friday, Hill said.
"The child was in the rear of the room and, according to the child, she did nothing to provoke the snake and the snake bit her," Hill said.
Principal Michele R. Campbell said the boa constrictor is owned by a science teacher on staff who has since taken the snake home.
Frattalone had been assigned to wipe down desks in another classroom as punishment for chewing gum. The cleaning solution she used smelled like vinegar. After she was finished, she went to the science classroom to retrieve a book she had left behind earlier, she said.
There, another student was roaming around the room with the boa constrictor wrapped around his arm. As the boy approached Frattalone, she waved to say goodbye and the snake lunged for her, biting her forearm.
"Its teeth were digging into my arm," Frattalone said. "I was screaming and trying to pull him off me."
"We think that the snake smelled that vinegar smell on her arm," said Gary Frattalone, 41, the teen's father.
Bridget Wolff, a science teacher, was in the classroom during the attack and cleaned the wound with soap and water, the Frattalones said.
"The students have been trained," Campbell said. "The student who was injured may have made a poor choice reaching out in front of the snake, which she has been trained in class not to do."
Nevertheless, Campbell expressed regret over the incident and said St. Rose responded appropriately in the aftermath.
"I feel bad about the snake situation, I think we handled it as best we could. . . . These are not venomous snakes," she said.
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Last week, a 5-foot-long, 6-inch-thick boa constrictor, housed in a science classroom at St. Rose High School, attacked the 16-year-old sophomore while she was being held after school for detention.
"Puncture wounds, a slight bruising of the skin was noticeable," Police Chief Jack Hill said. "There was no indication it was serious, but she went to her doctor and she was given medicine — antibiotics."
According to a police report, the attack occurred about 2:30 p.m. Friday, Hill said.
"The child was in the rear of the room and, according to the child, she did nothing to provoke the snake and the snake bit her," Hill said.
Principal Michele R. Campbell said the boa constrictor is owned by a science teacher on staff who has since taken the snake home.
Frattalone had been assigned to wipe down desks in another classroom as punishment for chewing gum. The cleaning solution she used smelled like vinegar. After she was finished, she went to the science classroom to retrieve a book she had left behind earlier, she said.
There, another student was roaming around the room with the boa constrictor wrapped around his arm. As the boy approached Frattalone, she waved to say goodbye and the snake lunged for her, biting her forearm.
"Its teeth were digging into my arm," Frattalone said. "I was screaming and trying to pull him off me."
"We think that the snake smelled that vinegar smell on her arm," said Gary Frattalone, 41, the teen's father.
Bridget Wolff, a science teacher, was in the classroom during the attack and cleaned the wound with soap and water, the Frattalones said.
"The students have been trained," Campbell said. "The student who was injured may have made a poor choice reaching out in front of the snake, which she has been trained in class not to do."
Nevertheless, Campbell expressed regret over the incident and said St. Rose responded appropriately in the aftermath.
"I feel bad about the snake situation, I think we handled it as best we could. . . . These are not venomous snakes," she said.
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