UPDATE, 4:25 p.m.:

The Arcata Police Department has initiated an investigation into the incident, which sent three students to the hospital, according to APD Sgt. Brian Hoffman.

Officers responded to the school campus and spoke with teachers, and Hoffman said that any adults who provided the cannabis gummies could face charges of child endangerment. 

“This is an investigation, and right now we’re just ferreting out information,” he said.

He added that Jacoby Creek Superintendent/Principal Melanie Nannizzi was quick to respond and communicate with families. One family reported to an officer that their child is okay and was leaving the hospital.

“It appears the kids are going to be okay,” Hoffman said.

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Original post:

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Teachers, administrators and students at Jacoby Creek Elementary in Bayside experienced a medical scare today after a third-grade student shared gummies with four fellow students, evidently unaware that the chewy sweets contained cannabis.

In a phone interview, Jacoby Creek Superintendent/Principal Melanie Nannizzi said that when students began showing signs of intoxication, the campus classroom was briefly evacuated and the fire department was called to the scene over concerns that there may have been a carbon monoxide leak.

“But upon learning what happened, we shifted tactics,” Nannizzi said.

Parents were notified, and those whose kids were affected came to pick them up, with some being taken for medical attention. 

In an email to Jacoby Creek families, Nannizzi said, “A third grade student inadvertently brought marijuana gummies to school and shared them with four peers at snack recess. The students were not aware that the gummies contained marijuana.” 

She went on to describe the situation as “a frightening incident for our entire school community.”

Asked if everyone is okay, Nannizzi said she believes so, though she hadn’t gotten reports back from everyone involved yet.

A friendly reminder to parents: Please store those sweet and colorful cannabis edibles away from children.