School chief: Walt Whitman student stable after fall

A Walt Whitman High School student was in stable condition Thursday after falling -- or possibly jumping -- from a third-floor classroom window at the school, officials said.

"We don't have any word of any bullying; from what we understand, he is a popular, well-rounded young man," South Huntington District Superintendent David B. Bennardo said. "The police are investigating. We are getting word that it could have been intentional . . . We're praying for the family, right now," he said. "We're praying for the youngster."

School officials said that the fall occurred during a four- to five-minute transitional period when students were moving between classes and there were about a dozen students and two teachers in the room.

The student was identified only as a male by Suffolk County police, who said the fall at the Huntington Station school was reported in a 911 call received at 9:14 a.m.

Police said that Second Squad detectives were investigating.

Bennardo, speaking at the scene, said the student, who is an upperclassman, was "conscious" when he was airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital.

Bennardo later said the student was in stable condition.

"We're in the very embryonic stages of the investigation, right now," Bennardo said, adding that crisis counselors were being made available at the school for students and staff.

The superintendent said the school was placed on a modified lockdown, meaning students could not leave campus for lunch.