NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Five students at a New Haven magnet school were taken to the hospital on Friday after ingesting what appeared to be candy and getting sick, officials said.
New Haven officials said the five students at Bishop Woods Architecture & Design Magnet School started vomiting soon after ingesting what appeared to be candy brought in by another student.
Police later determined that the chocolate candy the students ingested contained THC, which is an active ingredient in marijuana.
Fortunately, the students will recover. Officials say one of the five seventh graders, who were sickened, provided the candy.
"While we cannot fully confirm that it did not contain fentanyl, we strongly believe that it did not contain fentanyl," said Mayor Justin Elicker (D-New Haven).
Staff conducted a sweep of the school and it appeared that no other children had ingested the substance.
"Young children see these edibles as a very appealing fun thing to eat. It looks like a gummy or perhaps another food product like a chocolate bar or a brownie," said Dr. Leslie Sude, a Pediatrician with Yale Medicine.
THC can cause serious reactions, including overdoses and even death.
"The advice to parents is talk to your children. Tell them that they should not accept candy unless they’re absolutely certain where it came from," Sude added.
In fact, school officials advise children, when they are in school, not to eat anything from anyone beside your parents or the school cafeteria.
"We don’t know if it’s a copycat from what happened in Hartford," Tracey said. "They were also seventh graders."
The incident comes one day after three students in Hartford were taken to the hospital after coming into contact with fentanyl.
One 13-year-old student from the Sports and Medical Science Academy reportedly collapsed and a school nurse began CPR until emergency personnel arrived and restored a heart rhythm. The student is said to be in "grave condition."
RELATED: Over 130 school staff in Norwich call out for Friday, causing district to cancel school day
Officials also found a number of bags of what officials believe to be fentanyl in several places throughout the school.
Elsewhere in New Haven, police said a paraprofessional at Brennan-Rogers School was arrested for having a loaded gun.
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Tony Terzi is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at tterzi@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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