Earlier in September, a Bridgeport Elementary School student brought marijuana-infused gummy to campus
A Bridgeport Elementary School student brought a marijuana-infused gummy from their home in early-September, prompting an investigation into the incident, according to Saugus Union School District officials.
Michelle Barries, assistant superintendent of student support services, said the isolated incident occurred Sept. 13, when a student brought the gummy and shared it with four other students during lunch time. Two students ingested their portions, she added.
“Other students in the classroom brought the issue to the attention of their teacher, which was then immediately followed up by school administration,” Barries wrote in an email. “School administration took immediate action in investigating the incident.”
The gummy did not contain fentanyl, according to Barries.
“Staff knew from the beginning of their investigation that this was a marijuana gummy,” Barries wrote in an email. “School administration and district leadership work with law enforcement and parents throughout the investigation.”
According to Deputy Natalie Arriaga, spokeswoman for the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station, there is no investigation pertaining to the incident, nor was a report requested, but the school is working in hand with the station’s Juvenile Intervention Team, or J-Team, to further educate students, staff and parents about the dangers of edibles and all narcotics.
None of the students involved in the incident passed out or required hospitalization due to ingesting part of the gummy, Barries added.
School administration directly notified families of the students involved in the incident, and school administration kept in communication throughout the investigation.
“As a result of determining this was an isolated incident involving a small group of friends, the school operated as it normally does by communicating with those involved,” Barries wrote in an email. “Had this incident been widespread, involved sales or large-scale distribution, or involved strangers in the neighborhood, communication would have also been school-wide.”
Kim Humphries, principal of Bridgeport Elementary School, said in a prepared statement that school staff took this matter seriously and were saddened the incident occurred. They will be taking steps to educate students, she added.
“Initially, we did not share specific information about this incident with our whole school community as we try to keep disciplinary issues confidential unless pervasive,” Humphries wrote in an email. “Students make mistakes and above all our mission is to educate them and guide them, so that students learn from mistakes and do not repeat them.”
Humphries noted the incident is now being shared across social media platforms, some of which contains misinformation related to the incident.
According to Humphries, some misinformation being shared online is that students passed out or that the gummies were laced with fentanyl, but none of that is true.
“As a result of false rumors, I felt it was prudent to share with our whole school community,” Humphries wrote in an email. “Please know your children are safe, and we are taking every measure within our control to keep them that way.”
In a prepared statement, district Superintendent Colleen Hawkins said they were proud of the students who immediately talked to their teacher about the incident.
“We are teaching students that when they see something they should say something, and this is what happened,” Hawkins said in a prepared statement. “We are fortunate to have a supportive and collaborative partnership with our parent community and surrounding law enforcement agencies in addressing these and other issues.”
According to district officials, any instance involving drugs in schools, and in particular the edible incident, is cause for concern.
“While this is an isolated incident, we have partnered with Los Angeles (County) Sheriff’s Department to provide a drug awareness and education event this week for our students,” Hawkins wrote in an email.
In addition, the Saugus district will also prepare a drug education and awareness information flier for all district families as part of Red Ribbon Week activities in October.
