According to Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Michael B. Kane, three young students at a Broward County middle school were taken to the hospital after they were reported to be showing signs of overdosing. The incident happened on Monday, December 11th, in the town of Lauderdale Lakes. Sheriff Kane confirmed that all three children were students at Lauderdale Lakes Middle School, located at 3911 NW 30th Avenue.
Following the incident, Kane stated that the students who exhibited signs of drug overdose were promptly transported to HCA Florida Northwest Hospital and Broward Health Medical Center for treatment. One local parent, Edwitch Raymond, spoke on the incident. He said, “This is something very wicked, that, if that happened to my kids, I wouldn’t be happy about it,” echoing sentiments felt by parents throughout the area.
At this time, it is uncertain as to precisely what substances the students ingested that resulted in hospitalization. This is reportedly the second time in only two weeks that students at Lauderdale Lakes Middle School have apparently ingested a controlled substance. In the earlier incident, the child involved, 12-year-old Derrick Gage, also showed signs of overdose on campus.
Gage said that another student at the school gave him what he thought was a piece of candy. The child’s mother, Kristy Bradley, was contacted about the incident, which occurred on November 27th, and ultimately discovered that the candy given to Gage was actually a THC edible. “He was high. He couldn’t stay awake, like the whole day he slept,” Bradley said about her son’s condition after ingesting the edible.
Gage spoke with reporters about the incident. He said, “It was pink. It wasn’t exactly hard. It felt like a sour patch (kid), but it wasn’t.” One parent at Lauderdale Lakes Middle School, Queen Brown, spoke about what happened on Monday and called it “concerning.” She also said that she made her daughter watch the news report about Gage when it aired last month.
Wanting her child to be aware of the dangers present in accepting something from a stranger, Brown said, “I send her with snacks now every day, and I told her not to accept anything from anyone because there’s no way for her to know.” These incidents, unfortunately, are not isolated to Lauderdale Lakes Middle School.
At the same time that Gage’s report became available, a 9-year-old girl in Miami Gardens was hospitalized after ingesting a THC edible in the form of an Airhead-looking candy. The child is a student at Bunche Park Elementary and said she received the candy from an unidentified fifth-grade student. Some of the victim’s classmates also visited the nurse’s office after eating the same candies.
According to a Broward County Public Schools spokesperson, the district is actively collaborating with local law enforcement to investigate the incidents thoroughly. The district is reminding parents to speak with their children about the hazards of eating unpackaged or otherwise unfamiliar items. Students are encouraged not to accept unknown snacks and alert school staff if they have concerns or pertinent information regarding these incidents.
No additional information has been reported at this time.
