Family of Minneapolis kindergartener recovering from mysterious illness searches for answers
MINNEAPOLIS — A family is searching for answers to why a Minneapolis kindergartener came down with a mysterious illness after class.
Rachel Hodges says her daughter, Da'Kyah, was shaking, having trouble walking and acting bizarrely Monday. She needed hospitalization and later said that a kindergarten classmate gave her something suspicious.
Officials from Nellie Stone Johnson Elementary School in Minneapolis called Hodges to say Da'Kyah had thrown up and had what looked like seizures.
"She didn't know who I was," Hodges said. "She didn't know my mom. She has a twin, she didn't know him."
Hodges says after emergency room doctors told her it wasn't a seizure, the episodes of odd behavior continued on and off.
She says they include hallucinations and mood changes.
"I've never even seen a child act that way," Hodges said. "And it's just sad, because she's scared of me, and I'm her mom."
Da'Kyah says a girl in her class gave her what she said was candy.
"But she pranked me," Da'Kyah said. "After I ate them, she said, 'Ha, just kidding. They're poisonous candies.' My body was hurting and yeah, it was scary."
Da'Kyah described what she ate as colored pills.
"The police looked in her eyes," Hodges said. "They seen that she was dilated. Her eyes were crossed and bugged really big, and they knew she had to have ingested something she shouldn't have."
A Minneapolis police spokesperson said, "In accordance with normal procedure for processing a report involving young children, this case has been referred to Child Protective Services (CPS). MPD will continue to partner with CPS as this case moves forward."
Hodges says they're waiting on blood tests to hopefully identify what gave Da'Kyah and her family such a scare.
Minneapolis Public Schools issues statement
Minneapolis Public Schools responded to WCCO's request for comment on Thursday.
Read it in full below:
Minneapolis Public Schools prioritizes the safety of all of our students and takes all concerns related to safety seriously. Due to data privacy laws, we are unable to disclose specific details relating to this incident; however the matter is being investigated, and we are working closely with those who are directly impacted. MPS will also work cooperatively with law enforcement and other agencies as appropriate. We are committed to ensuring a safe and welcoming learning environment for all of our students and families. Below is a notice that was sent to families at Nellie Stone Johnson regarding an incident that occurred earlier this week.
Dear Nellie Stone Johnson families,
We want to assure you that the safety and wellbeing of our students is always our top priority. Our administration and staff are committed to making sure this is an educational environment where all of our students feel safe at school.
Concerns have been brought forward regarding an alleged incident that occurred in our building earlier this week. While we are unable to share additional information regarding those concerns due to state and federal data privacy laws, please know that we are taking this matter very seriously and are actively looking into the concerns that have been raised.
If you or your child have concerns or information that you would like to share with us, please do not hesitate to reach out by calling the main office at 612-668-2930, or by emailing kelly.wright@mpls.k12.mn.us.Sincerely,
Principal Kelly Wright