The Granbury School District says eight middle schoolers were hospitalized after eating candy believed to contain a narcotic. All of the students are now recovering, and investigators are looking into what caused this severe reaction. NBC 5’s Keenan Willard spoke with parents at the school about the safety concerns.
Eight middle school students in Granbury were briefly hospitalized Tuesday after they ate candy that adults believed may have contained a narcotic.
According to a letter sent to parents by Granbury Middle School Principal Dr. Andy Smith, the students ate candy provided by another student on Tuesday afternoon.
Smith wrote that the candy was believed to have included a narcotic, but didn't elaborate on what led school officials to that conclusion. Smith said the Granbury Police and Texas EMS were called and that all eight of the students were taken to the hospital.
All of the students were OK, Smith wrote, and an initial test of the candy showed it was negative for THC.
THC is the psychoactive component of cannabis and is what makes a person feel "high" when either smoking marijuana or eating an edible.
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Smith said additional testing will be done on the candy as the investigation by Granbury Police and school officials unfolds.
"It’s so scary," said GMS parent Desirae Blackerby. "I wouldn’t know what to do if [my son] just took a piece of candy from his friend and then he was in the hospital."
Blackerby told NBC5 she was shocked by the email parents got from the district describing what happened.
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Smith said the incident served as a reminder to children about the potential danger of "unknown consumptions."
"It is crucial that we have open and honest conversations with our children about making responsible choices and being cautious when it comes to accepting or consuming anything unfamiliar," Smith wrote.
The principal encouraged parents to have conversations with the children about the risks associated with some consumables even if they look like familiar or harmless candies.
Granbury Middle School parents said the incident left them with new warnings to share with their children.
"It makes you question everything," Blackerby said. "You can’t let them take anything from their friends because you don’t know what it is now. It’s scary."
