FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — Three students are still in the hospital Friday after 28 middle school students got sick from eating candy on Valentine’s Day at Sandtown Middle School.
On Friday, Fulton County Schools said in a release that the investigation is ongoing with the Fulton County Schools Police Department to find out what caused the students to get sick. The district will not release any more information on how the students are doing, citing privacy laws.
Twenty-eight students were hospitalized on Valentine’s Day after eating snacks and candy of an unknown origin. Fulton County fire said the children experienced shortness of breath and had symptoms of an allergic reaction.
One student said that several of her peers had brought candy for Valentine's Day and that it was shared during locker break.
"Everyone started bringing candy in the shape of hearts," Genesis Cruz said. "So, people started, like, passing them out and like people were eating them."
She said some of the candy may have been tainted with drugs -- something school officials have not confirmed.
"So, people were, like, screaming down the hallways and stuff," she said.
Cruz said police then came in the classroom and told students not to eat any candy.
"They were like Rice Crispies and stuff," she said. "Like lollipops."
She added that the Rice Crispies she saw were homemade but the lollipops appeared to be store-bought.
"Like, heart-shaped, pink lollipops," she said.
Fulton County Schools said it cannot confirm the source of the candy, or if it was what caused the students’ illnesses.
Moving forward, district officials plan to meet with Sandtown students to help them understand the potential danger of eating food when you don’t know where it comes from. Sandtown principal Estella Cook said she is planning a series of small group meetings next week to discuss proper student behavior.
The district said the investigation will likely be turned over to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to test the food samples obtained by officers at the scene.
Nelly Miles from the GBI told 11Alive that the agency has not received any evidence for testing and is not conducting a criminal investigation at this time.
Once the investigation is finalized, the school system said it will decide if criminal charges should be filed. Students could face disciplinary action if the district finds them responsible.
