Multiple Washington DC School Students Hospitalized After Eating Gummies With 'Unidentified' Substance

Multiple children in the 5th grade became ill after consuming "unidentified" edible gummies brought by another student to an elementary school in Washington, D.C., the authorities said.

The incident took place at Key Elementary School in the 5000 block of Dana Place in Northwest shortly before 2 p.m. Wednesday.

Assistant Principal Jennifer Green issued a letter notifying that a student brought the gummies containing an "unidentified controlled substance" to school. It's unclear how the child got hold of the gummies in the first place.

"It was brought to the administration team's attention that a student brought gummies containing an unidentified controlled substance to school and shared them with several other students in the 5th grade," said the letter, accessed by WJLA.

The students had an "apparent reaction to alleged drug consumption" after ingesting the gummies, the school authorities said. As the students began to feel unwell, they went to the nurse for evaluation, who later called the DC Fire and Emergency Services (FEMS) after noticing the "severity of the illness."

The exact number of students who fell sick was not clear as some reports claimed seven were hospitalized, while other media sources said eight were affected.

Authorities didn't release any information regarding the symptoms experienced by the impacted children. Many of the students were taken to an area hospital for evaluation and were listed in stable condition now.

In the letter, the assistant principal affirmed the families of all students involved were immediately contacted. The school also followed all health and safety protocols with the cooperation of DC FEMs and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

Meanwhile, school authorities asked parents to advise their children against consuming any unknown foods or substances, even if it came from their friends.

"As we work with the DC Public Schools Student Supports Division and our school-based mental health team to hold age-appropriate conversations around substance use awareness and prevention with our 5th-grade students, we will also be prioritizing restorative practice in relation to this incident," Green wrote in the letter.

Investigators have not identified the substance present in the gummies consumed by the students. MPD and School Resource officers launched an investigation into the details of the incident, WUSA9 reported.

Calls to poison control centers about underage abuse have surged by 245% between 2000 and 2020 in the wake of a rise in the availability of legal and powerful edible cannabis products like cookies and gummies.