LONG ISLAND, NY - Authorities said that 11 middle schoolers on Long Island were hospitalized after eating marijuana-laced gummies that were handed out by a fellow student.
According to the New York Post, the incident happened on Monday, March 3rd at William Floyd Middle School in Moriches. Suffolk County police said the students, ages 13 and 14, fell ill after consuming THC-laced gummies. The incident drew massive amounts of both police and EMTs to the school. The school district said that 11 students were transported to local hospitals for further treatment and another went home with a parent.
One parent, Jaylee Pereira, said that neither her seventh-grader son nor his friends were involved in the incident. However, she said the whole ordeal still worried her, adding, "That's terrible. I can't believe this is going on in the school." While inside the school, Pereira said she saw alarmed parents arguing with staff members, including a school nurse. She said, "One of the mothers was crying."
As of this writing, no additional information has been provided. The Suffolk County Police Department said officers from its 7th Precinct Crime Section would be investigating the incident. No charges were immediately filed. Previously, police had said that the discipline was expected to be handled by the district.
In a separate incident, a middle school student has been arrested for their connection to a classmate's death that was caused by drugs. According to KGUN9, the suspect is the same age as the girl who died of an overdose on fentanyl — 14. The girl who died of a fentanyl overdose went to Mansfeld Middle School in Tucson, Arizona.
She did not die on school grounds, she died at home. The young girl was found at home, in bed, dead. Her family said she had not been ill and they told police that they did not know her to be involved with drugs. However, a toxicology report showed fentanyl in her blood at four and a half time the level that has caused overdose deaths. It also showed concentrations of THC consistent with marijuana use.
The autopsy report on the 14-year-old girl calls her death an accidental overdose. However, the Pima County Attorney's Office has confirmed that the young man who has been arrested will be tried as a juvenile. The charges against him include manslaughter, violation of a drug free school zone, and involving a minor in a drug offense.
After the toxicology report came back, police continued their investigation into the death of the 14-year-old girl. On February 14th, about two weeks after the incident, police went to the home of the 14-year-old male and arrested him. He is no longer a student at Mansfeld Middle School. Search warrant documents show detectives did not find the evidence of drugs they expected to find, but they did seize cellphones and electronic tablets.
