By Mike McCombs
The Island News
A dozen Robert Smalls International Academy 6th graders were transported by Beaufort County Emergency Medical Services to Beaufort Memorial Hospital on Thursday, May 25, with elevated vital signs after ingesting what is believed to be medical marijuana while at school.
Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) deputies were summoned by school administrators because there was a belief that a number of children had ingested a substance that they thought was candy but may have in fact been a drug, according the Maj. Angela Viens, Public Information Officer for the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
“It did say on the label it was medical marijuana,” Viens said. “We have the wrapper and a portion of the candy bar that was ingested.”
Viens said the remaining substance was submitted for analysis.
According to Viens, an administrator saw a student and noticed she was not acting like herself. The girls told the administrator what had happened and identified other students who had eaten the candy. There were originally six students identified that had eaten part of the candy bar, but eventually, six more came forward and admitted they, too, had eaten the candy.
The children, 12 in all, were all 6th graders and all either 11 or 12 years old.
“We don’t know if it was done on purpose or by accident,” Viens said.
Beaufort County School District Communications Director Candace Bruder-Brasseur said the district could not comment on the BCSO investigation or students’ disciplinary and/or health matters, but she shared the communication that was sent to Robert Smalls International Academy families on Thursday:
“Some of our students reported having consumed ‘edibles’ today which appear to look like snack foods, but actually contain high levels of cannabis (marijuana) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
If consumed by children and young adults these snacks and candies can cause respiratory distress, loss of coordination, vomiting, lethargy, and loss of consciousness.
We encourage you to talk to your children about the dangers of substance abuse and the accepting and sharing of consumable items.
Additionally, any student who brings or distributes such “edibles” on campus will be disciplined accordingly and reported to law enforcement.
Please feel free to reach out to school administration with any additional questions or concerns.”
Mike McCombs is the Editor of The Island News and can be reached at TheIslandNews@gmail.com.
