Five students from Central Elementary School in Amherst County sought medical attention on Tuesday, following an incident that happened on school grounds.
While the investigation is ongoing, aย press releaseย about the incident stated that seven students experienced an โallergic reaction,โ which prompted school administrators to call emergency services.ย
โStudents became ill and were exhibiting symptoms,โ Amherst County Public Schools (ACPS)ย Superintendent Dr. William Wells said.
The Amherst County Sheriffโs Office conducted a field test on a Ziploc bag that a student brought from home,ย containing gummy bearsย that the children ate while at Central. ACPSย confirmed on Dec. 12ย that the bag tested positive for fentanyl.
Two students were transported by Amherst County EMS, and three were taken by their parents to receive treatment.ย
In the media release, ACPS noted that the families of the students were notified, and updates would be released as more information became available.ย
All five students were released from the hospital after receiving treatment, Wells confirmed. He also noted that two adults were arrested in connection with the case.ย
In theย Facebook commentsย on the ACPS post about the incident, parents and community members raised concerns and asked questions. One individual asked if the school had undergone a โdeep cleanโ since the incident. ACPS responded that the โarea affectedโ had been cleaned. Parents pressed the issue, asking for more details about the cleaning process.
ACPS wrote in the comments: โThe fentanyl residue was in a Ziploc bag and was contained to that bag. As a precaution, we wiped the area the students were seated with a sanitizing solution.โ
We asked Wells what steps ACPS plans to take to ensure that a situation like this doesnโt happen again.
He said, โAmherst County Public Schools will continue to communicate with students, families, and staff about the importance of drug awareness and not sharing food items.โ
Editorโs note: ACPS Superintendent Dr. William Wells responded to Dogwoodโs email request at 11:57 a.m. on Dec. 13. Weโve made updates to our story to reflect the new information received.ย
Original article: Five students from Central Elementary School in Amherst County sought medical attention on Tuesday, following an incident that happened on school grounds.
While the investigation is ongoing, aย press releaseย about the incident stated that seven students experienced an โallergic reaction,โ which prompted school administrators to call emergency services.ย
The Amherst County Sheriffโs Office conducted a field test on a Ziploc bag that a student brought from home,ย containing gummy bearsย that the children ate while at Central. Amherst County Public Schools (ACPS)ย confirmed on Dec. 12ย that the bag tested positive for fentanyl.
Two students were transported by Amherst County EMS, and three were taken by their parents to receive treatment.ย
In the media release, ACPS noted that the families of the students were notified, and updates would be released as more information became available.ย
In theย Facebook commentsย on the ACPS post about the incident, parents and community members raised concerns and asked questions. One individual asked if the school had undergone a โdeep cleanโ since the incident. ACPS responded that the โarea affectedโ had been cleaned. Parents pressed the issue, asking for more details about the cleaning process.
ACPS wrote in the comments: โThe fentanyl residue was in a Ziploc bag and was contained to that bag. As a precaution, we wiped the area the students were seated with a sanitizing solution.โ
Dogwood reached out to ACPS through email for comment, and received word that our request was forwarded to the superintendentโs office. We will update this story as news becomes available.ย
