Eight students sent to hospital after eating candy-like substance at Carteret County middle school

CARTERET COUNTY, N.C. (WITN) - Eight students at a Carteret County middle school were sent to the hospital after school officials say they ate a candy-like substance provided by another student.

It happened around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at Broad Creek Middle School.

The school system says some 10 students were involved, and eight of those were taken to Carteret Health Care for treatment, two others were released to the care of their parents.

The Carteret County Sheriff’s Office says those students sent to the hospital “appear to be OK.”

“We are waiting test results to determine the presence of any substance which may have caused the adverse reactions affecting the involved students,” Major Derek Moore said in a statement.

Charlotte Race, one student who just started middle school, says hearing about what happened to her classmates was shocking.

“I mean, it was not something that I would have expected for like the third day, but I mean it was kind of scary,” she said. “I feel like it wouldn’t be something that you would have thought would happen.”

“The safety and health of our students remain our highest priority,” Principal Jenny Bell said in a statement. “We deeply appreciate the quick actions of our staff and the tremendous support of the emergency response teams who worked together to care for our students.”

The school system encourages parents to remind their children to only eat food from those they know and trust, something parents like Maggie Race are heeding.

“We had a really big discussion tonight, you know, getting home at the dinner table and really talking about making good choices, being smart and not putting yourself into a bad position,” Race said. “So it was a great learning experience.”

Race said she appreciates the school system for keeping all parents notified and aware.

School officials say that an investigation is still ongoing to determine what the substance was and if any charges are appropriate under the law as well as under the school’s Code of Conduct.