Parents Upset With School Response After Students Ingest 'Unknown Substance'
CHICAGO (CBS) -- At least three elementary school students in Maywood were hospitalized Wednesday, after ingesting an unknown substance that some relatives fear might have been cocaine.
According to a statement from Maywood-Melrose Park-Broadview School District 89, "a few" children at Garfield Elementary School were taken to the hospital Wednesday afternoon, after ingesting an "unknown substance" that they got from another student.
Carletta May said a 4th grade boy brought multiple small bags of cocaine to the school, and five children were taken to two hospitals after they ingested the powder.
May said police officials and the hospital confirmed the substance was cocaine.
She said the children were pressured to eat or, in some cases, snort the drug in the cafeteria at lunch. She said one girl and four boys, including the child who brought the bags to school were taken to hospitals to be checked out.
May said her grandson notified his teacher about what happened, but it took a couple of hours before anything was done. She said that could have put her grandson's life at risk.
"My grandson could have died, and their protocol to me was not sufficient. He told the teacher at 12:30. She didn't do nothing until 3:30, because the principal say she wasn't aware of it," she said.
Police and school officials would not independently confirm the children involved ingested cocaine.
District 89 said the "students appear to be fine." May said her grandson still had a stomach ache Thursday morning.
Police and school district officials declined to speak on camera.
The district said parents were informed about what happened with letters and phone calls. They said they are cooperating with police as th ey try to figure out exactly what happened.