Candy-snorting kids bring HAZMAT to Osteen Elementary

BEACON PHOTO
Emergency responders — Emergency vehicles line the drive at Osteen Elementary School, after reports came in that seven students ingested a white substance.

BEACON PHOTO
HAZMAT — A HAZMAT truck sits on the Osteen Elementary School campus, for safe handling of a white substance that seven students were found ingesting.

By Jen Horton
BEACON STAFF WRITER

posted Feb 1, 2013 - 2:16:48pm

UPDATE 3:08 P.M. FRIDAY, FEB. 1 — The ingested by seven fourth-grade students at Osteen Elementary School was sugar-based candy, crushed up in a baggy.

The baggie was passed around, and some classmates stuck their fingers in the bag and tasted it, others sniffed it — as if it were a drug.

"The story from the student is not clear, and has changed several times," Wait said.

Officials are not sure if the baggie of crushed candy was presented as a drug or not.

If the powder was being presented as a drug, it would violate Volusia County Schools code of conduct, and the students involved could face disciplinary actions.

Wait said the event is being investigated.

"We're just very pleased that it was sugar-based, and not drugs," Wait said.

Nobody was injured during the event, she said, but it did cause a huge disruption at the school.

The principal will send home a letter to parents tonight advising them of the incident.

UPDATE 2:30 P.M. FRIDAY, FEB. 1 — A parent who went to Osteen Elementary to check on the situation reported that the school's principal, Robert Oulette, said the children had a white powder that's now being tested to determine its composition. The Beacon's source said it doesn't appear any children were harmed or made sick in the incident. One child who may be have been involved in the incident was being questioned in the vice principal's office.

Five emergency-response vehicles were at the campus, however, while a news helicopter circled above. — Pat Andrews

PREVIOUSLY REPORTED — HAZMAT is at Osteen Elementary School after seven children ingested a substance, said Volusia County Schools spokesperson Nancy Wait.

There is no other information available.

"We're still trying to gather information," Wait said.

— jen@beacononlinenews.com

Comment on this article

Commenting is closed for this article.

If you would like to contribute a letter to the editor, please click here.

Did you find this story interesting or informative? Subscribe to The West Volusia Beacon to read more stories by Jen Horton, along with others from our award-winning writers. Subscribe now!