Twin Lakes Middle School students ingested ‘unknown gummy substances,’ some were taken to hospital

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Some students at Twin Lakes Middle School became ill after ingesting “unknown gummy substances,” according to a message sent to parents and guardians by the school’s principal on Monday.

The school said it is “aware of at least six students who ingested this substance,” according to the message from Principal Aurelia Williams.

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All six said they felt ill, and they were all either picked up by their parents or taken to the hospital.

The Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department said five pediatric patients were taken to the hospital from Twin Lakes Middle School on Monday.

This was a medical call, JFRD said. JFRD said the youths have non-life-threatening injuries.

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DCPS shared the following message that was sent to the school’s families:

“Good Evening Twin Lakes Middle School families.

“This is Principal Williams calling to make you aware of an incident that occurred today and the steps we took to keep everyone safe.  We were made aware that a student was in possession of unknown gummy substances and shared the items with other students in their class. At this time, we are aware of at least six students who ingested this substance. All six reported feeling ill and the families of those students were contacted. They were either picked up by their family or transported to area hospitals for medical evaluation.

“At this time, we are unable to verify what type of substance was ingested, but law enforcement is investigating. While the substance is unknown, this incident does present an important opportunity for families to talk to their children about the dangers of drugs and illegal substances as well as ingesting unknown substances. We also encourage you to check your child’s backpack daily and remind them that bringing prohibited items onto our campus is a serious code of conduct violation that can result in school discipline and possible criminal charges.

“Thank you as always for your support of Twin Lakes Academy and have a great evening.”

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