Riverhead student says he and classmate racially harassed

A black student at the H.B. Ward Vocational Center in Riverhead is claiming he and a black classmate have been racially harassed since October.
The student, who did not want to be identified, says the worst incident occurred on the day civil rights leader Coretta Scott King died. He says three white classmates brought in a black action figure with its hands tied and a noose around its neck, which they hung on the classroom door.
School officials say the three students were suspended, but Riverhead residents say the police had to be coaxed into taking action. Police officials deny the charge and say they have a zero-tolerance policy for racial discrimination. The three white students must now answer to harassment charges in Riverhead Town Court next week.