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Drug-laced snacks brought by classmate land students in hospital, Louisiana cops say

A 13-year-old student at Advantage Charter Academy is accused of knowingly bringing drug-laced Rice Krispies treats to school and sharing them with classmates, who became sick, Louisiana police say. 
A 13-year-old student at Advantage Charter Academy is accused of knowingly bringing drug-laced Rice Krispies treats to school and sharing them with classmates, who became sick, Louisiana police say.  Screengrab from WBRZ.

At least three students had to be hospitalized after authorities say they consumed drug-laced snacks at a Louisiana charter school.

Now, a 13-year-old student at Advantage Charter Academy in Baker could face charges after knowingly bringing the tainted Rice Krispies treats to school Thursday and sharing them with classmates, WVLA-TV reported, citing police.

School staff called 911 after the students began “hallucinating, hyperventilating and panicking,” according to WBRZ. Three were taken to a hospital for treatment.

Authorities said it’s unclear where the 13-year-old got the edibles or what drug(s) they contained.

“It’s really crazy,” one parent told WVLA-TV. “I just hope they get the situation under control.”

The public charter school, which serves kindergarten through eighth grade, released a statement Thursday saying the incident is under investigation.

“We have no higher priority than the health and safety of our students,” spokesperson Jessica Meldrum told WBRZ in a statement. “After the incident that occurred on our school’s campus this afternoon requiring a response by emergency personnel, school leaders immediately began an investigation.”

Meldrum declined to provide additional details, citing privacy issues.

A similar incident happened at a middle school near Spring, Texas, in November when six students fell ill after unknowingly downing marijuana edibles brought by another student, KTRK reported.

“It looked like candy so I ate it,” an eighth grader said in a video her mother recorded at the hospital. “Then I had another one.”

McClatchy News reached out to the Baker Police Department on Friday for an update on the students’ conditions and was awaiting response.

The incident remains under investigation.

This story was originally published February 26, 2021 at 5:25 PM with the headline "Drug-laced snacks brought by classmate land students in hospital, Louisiana cops say."

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Tanasia Kenney
Sun Herald
Tanasia is a service journalism reporter at the Charlotte Observer | CharlotteFive, working remotely from Atlanta, Georgia. She covers restaurant openings/closings in Charlotte and statewide explainers for the NC Service Journalism team. She’s been with McClatchy since 2020.
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