Two fifth grade students at Grand River Academy in Livonia were rushed to hospital after eating cannabis-infused gummies on Monday.
Krystle Hall, the mother of one of the students, took to social media to talk about the incident and blast the school's reaction, after her son was given a gummy by his friend during their early morning class.
"From my understanding, the boy asked my son 'Do you want a piece of candy?' and my son said yes. The boys broke the gummy in half, and a couple of hours later my son began to feel sick," said Hall. "He told the teacher that he didn't feel good and she took him to the office. They questioned him, and when he told them he ate a gummy, they asked where he got it from. When they returned to the class to check, that's when they found out he had a THC gummy."
Hall said the school contacted poison control after the discovery, who instructed the school to take the children to the hospital immediately. When Hall arrived at the hospital, she spoke with Farmington police who she says told her they were not pressing any charges because the students are minors.
"The officer told me they weren't pressing any charges, and when I asked why he told me it was because they're kids. I said, so because they're kids, you don't know the outcome of this or anything, but you're telling me no charges can be brought for this situation?" Hall said.
The school's principal sent an email blast with a letter disclosing that an incident took place, but only saying the student brought in a banned item. Hall said she initially had no intention of sharing the incident on social media, but after she saw the principal's letter which included the line, "The students involved will be disciplined in accordance with the Student Code of Conduct," she decided to speak out because she says her son did nothing wrong.
"There's no reason for him to be disciplined, he didn't do anything at the school. The only thing he did was take a piece of what he thought was candy from his friend," Hall said.
In a statement to Metro Times, Leah Nixon, a spokesperson for the school, says that they are aware of the incident involving the fifth grade students and that the school is working diligently with the parents to resolve the matter:
"We were distressed to realize one of our fifth-graders brought a marijuana-infused gummy to school yesterday and shared it with a peer. Out of an abundance of caution, both children were sent to receive medical attention.While the school says they are working with the families of the students involved, Hall says that is not true. According to Hall, she briefly spoke with a dean at the school and was assured a follow up, but has not received any call about what the next steps might look like.
While edibles like these look like candy, they certainly are not – and parents need to take responsibility to keep these kinds of products out of the reach of their children. While we try to keep an eye on everything our students bring to school, that’s simply not possible.
We recognize this is a disturbing situation for any family and are working directly with the families of those students who were involved. We have also taken this opportunity to remind parents we have a zero-tolerance policy for bringing banned items to school. We encourage all parents and guardians to be vigilant about the food and snacks they are sending to school with their children."
"They're lying, they haven't been in communication with me at all. They haven't said anything to me after they called to tell me they were taking my son to the emergency room," Hall said. "The dean called me this morning, and was just like, 'They said you wanted me to call you,' and I told her I shouldn't have had to call you, you should have been calling me to say something to me anyway. After going back and forth, she got quiet and I told her to call me back after she got her story together. That was at 8 a.m. It's noon and I haven't heard anything since."
This is not the first time Grand River Academy has had an issue with illicit substances being brought onto school property. Last month, the school found itself making headlines after a kindergartner brought in Jose Cuervo tequila margarita mix and served it to four other kindergarten students.
Hall says she would like some accountability on the school's behalf, and now questions the safety of all the children at the school, and whether they're being watched properly.
"These kids are not safe at this school," Hall says. "If a kindergartner can bring in liquor, and pour drinks for five students, somebody is not being watched. I understand my son is in the fifth grade, and you shouldn't have to watch him as closely as you would a kindergartner, but something isn't going right in this school if these things can happen."
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