Nine third graders ingested a “foreign liquid substance” at an Atlanta school Wednesday, causing several of them to feel ill, the school district said.
Two of the sick students at Hollis Innovation Academy were taken to the hospital and the others were released to their parents. They had stomach pain, dizziness and nausea, Atlanta Public Schools said in a statement to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The students began to complain of illnesses around 12:30 p.m. at the charter school in northwest Atlanta.
“School administrators began to investigate the situation immediately and discovered that a total of nine students in third grade had ingested a foreign liquid substance,” the school district said. “EMTs were called and the school nurse continued to assess and monitor the condition of the students until the EMTs arrived.”
All parents of the kids involved were notified, according to school system leaders. A letter informing other parents about the illnesses was sent home with all students.
It was not immediately known what the students ingested or how they came in contact with it.
“The school administrative team followed all policies and procedures in regard to situations of this nature,” the district said. “They will continue to investigate this issue along with our Atlanta Public Schools police.”
In previous years, similar situations have unfolded at other metro Atlanta schools when students have shared foods laced with drugs.
In October 2021, 11 Forsyth County middle school students were taken to the hospital when another student brought melatonin gummies to campus, authorities said. In February 2019, a GBI lab test found THC in a food sample from Fulton County’s Sandtown Middle School, where 28 students were sent to the hospital after eating Valentine’s Day treats.
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