SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — Update: Sunday, 5/18:
The Seminole County Sheriff’s Office said Sunday six students reported falling ill at the Teague Middle School dance Friday night, but there was no reason to believe any of the food or drinks had been tampered with.
The symptoms reported to deputies included sweating and upset stomachs. However, none of the adults that also consumed the food and drinks became ill.
The source of the sickness is undetermined.
Original story:
Several eighth graders fell ill toward the end of a middle school dance in Seminole County Friday night, prompting one to be rushed to the hospital by ambulance and others to be transported by worried parents.
The Teague Middle School 8th grade dance at the Hilton Altamonte had been going off without any hiccups until the call from police came in.
“The cop said you need to come pick up your son. He’s pretty sick,” one mother, who asked to not be identified because of her relationships in the community, recounted. “They thought that the fruit punch was spiked.”
The mother said her son was among nearly a dozen students in the ER waiting room. In a follow-up conversation on Sunday, the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office put the number at five.
“Same symptoms, confusion, dizziness, hands were shaking, legs were shaking,” she said. “Some couldn’t even stand up. One kid in the waiting room actually fell over.”
She said the drug and alcohol tests done on the students came back negative and doctors theorized whatever toxin was used – if one was used -- was synthetic.
She said all the kids were discharged throughout the night. Her son said he was still feeling a little tired Saturday afternoon but was otherwise okay and added the students involved belonged to different social circles that weren’t hanging out together before the dance began.
The Seminole County Fire Department confirmed they transported one student as a patient. The school district said the same, but administrators weren’t able to immediately provide any other information about what happened.
“You don’t hear about it often,” the mother said, wondering if students had been properly checked before the party started and fretting about kids with medical conditions. “It is an eye-opener.”
Update 5/18: the number of students estimated to have been sick has been adjusted to reflect information released by the sheriff’s office.
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