Nine students and two school staff members in Weston, Connecticut, went to the hospital Thursday after eating candy brought back from a high school trip to China and reporting "a tingling in the mouth," according to the superintendent.
Supt. Colleen Palmer said the candy was shared Thursday among middle school students and staff. She explained in an email to parents that "some of the individuals experienced some discomfort" after eating the candy.
Palmer said the school nurse informed her of the illnesses around 1 p.m. Thursday.
"It was reported to me as a tingling in the mouth initially," she explained in an interview.
All 11 students and staff were taken to the hospital as a precaution. Palmer said in an update email Thursday evening that everyone had been sent home and was feeling better.
"We are all relieved that our students and staff are safe and sound this evening. However, the events of today remind us that in our global society it is important to understand that the trustworthiness of every product we encounter may differ from that which we buy around the corner at our local stores," Palmer wrote in the follow-up email.
She said police will analyze the candy "as the very final safety check."
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"I think it was shared with good will and innocence and unfortunately, it had a negative aftermath," Palmer told NBC Connecticut on Thursday night.
School officials are urging parents whose children have obtained the candy to contact the school and Weston Police Department.
