NEW PALESTINE — The Community School Corp. of Southern Hancock County will part ways with longtime district guidance counselor accused of stealing students’ prescriptions from a high school nurse’s office.
But Michelle Long’s resignation doesn’t go into effect for another year, according to district officials.
The 47-year-old from New Palestine faces five misdemeanor theft charges each of which carries a possible penalty of up to one year in jail. She’s pleaded not guilty to the allegations.
Police began investigating Long last month after the school nurse reported prescription drugs belonging to at least five high school students had gone missing. In all, about 70 Adderall and Ritalin pills were taken over the course of a month, according to court documents.
Long was one of a handful of high school administrators who had access to the locked cabinet where students’ medications are stored at the school, investigators say.
Only the school nurse and her assistant had a key to the cabinet; but Long asked for the key almost daily, telling the nurses that she needed to get into the cabinet to get ibuprofen for herself, court documents state.
Long was put on a paid administrative leave since May 21, the date of her arrest. That changed to unpaid leave effective June 11, according to an email to the New Palestine Press from Southern Hancock district spokesman Wes Anderson. Her official resignation will take effective on June 30, 2019, he said.
Long was listed on the district’s June personnel report for separation of employment effective June 30, 2019 — unless an earlier date applies, the document states.
Meanwhile, the criminal case against Long is still pending.
She made a quick appearance in Hancock County Superior Court 2 on Thursday. Her attorney, Phillip Sheward of Greenfield, told Judge Dan Marshall negotiations with prosecutors are still ongoing, and he asked that a second pretrial conference be set.
Now, Long will return to court at 9 a.m. Aug. 23. All proceedings are open to the public.
Sheward did not return a request for comment on this story.
