Police in West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, were on the scene Wednesday at Cross Roads Accelerated Academy after multiple students became ill after drinking from two bottles of grape juice. Two students at the school allegedly brought the bottles onto the campus, and many other students ingested the liquid. School District of Philadelphia officials believe the juice was laced with opioids.
The district placed the school on lockdown as police investigated. Emergency personnel took five children to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and seven students went home with their parents. Concerned parents and school community members want parents to take the incident seriously.
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Students began to get sick around lunchtime Wednesday.
Police responded to the school just before noon after receiving reports that multiple children were suddenly sick, according to NBC 10. Philadelphia School District representative Monique Braxton addressed the media and said two students brought juice to school laced with “wonk,” which she describes as an opioid substance.
After ingesting the liquid, students felt light-headed, and some vomited. The illness sparked significant concern in the school community.
Police acted quickly.
Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Kpana Massaquoi told NBC 10 that officers arrived at the school and put the campus on lockdown around 12:15 p.m. The police department brought trained officers with the counterterrorism unit. Officers deemed the situation serious, and they couldn’t take any chances of harming other members of the school community.
“They responded to the scene to do a preliminary testing on the substance and they determined they needed further testing so the substance will have to go to a lab,” Massaquoi said, according to the news outlet.
The whole situation is terrifying for students and parents alike.
Braxton said parents should not have to get a phone call that their child potentially ingested illegal drugs on school property brought to the campus by another student.
Grandmother Janice Wheeler told NBC 10 that parents have to get aggressive with their kids.
She said parents need to check in with their kids to see what is happening in their lives. Wheeler thinks parents must do whatever it takes, even if that means following their kids around. “You don’t know who’s who,” she warned.
Experts say that street drugs are not what they seem.
NBC 10 spoke with MJ Menedez from the Center for Science Research and Education, who said that purchasing drugs on the street differs from what a doctor would prescribe. Illegal drugs are often mixed with other things, which can have deadly consequences.
“I think it’s scary, and I do find it very fortunate to hear that these kids are going to be OK because there’s so much fentanyl out on the street that could have ended up to be a whole different story,” she said.
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What is 'wonk?'
Wonk is a slang name for ketamine, an anesthetic used for humans and animals. The website Talk to Frank explains that wonk can make a person feel happy, anxious, confused, or “tripped out.” The drug has serious side effects such as memory loss, nausea, and depression, and it can cause a person not to feel pain.
Long-term use can lead to liver damage, high blood pressure, and kidney and bladder problems, the website notes. The drug is extremely dangerous, especially when mixed with other drugs. Additionally, ketamine can have detrimental effects on a person’s mental health.
“The longer term effects of ketamine use can include flashbacks, memory loss and problems with concentration. Regular use can cause depression and, occasionally, psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations. Ketamine can also make existing mental health problems worse,” the website reads.
