A Minneapolis family wants answers after their child ended up in the emergency room, claiming a kindergartner in her class gave her candy.
On Thursday, May 9, Rachel Hodges spoke with local WCCO News about her daughter’s health scare.
According to Hodges, she received a phone call from Nellie Stone Johnson Elementary School on Monday, May 6, saying her daughter, Da’Kyah, was shaking, having trouble walking and acting bizarre.
Kindergarten classroom — picture.
Getty
After the child threw up and had what appeared to be seizures, Hodges rushed to the school to take her daughter to the hospital.
“She didn’t know who I was,” Hodges told the news station. “She didn’t know my mom. She has a twin, she didn’t know him.”
Video aired during the broadcast showed the kindergartner shaking at various points in the footage her mother had previously recorded.
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Hodges recalled how emergency room doctors informed her that Da’Kyah was not having a seizure, but the child’s episodes continued on and off.
“I’ve never seen a child act like that,” Hodges said of her daughter’s symptoms, which include hallucinations and mood swings. – And that’s just sad, because she’s afraid of me, and I’m her mom.
However, Da’Kyah was able to share her version of events.
“But she was kidding me,” the child said of her class teacher. “After I ate them, she said, ‘Huh, just kidding. They’re poison candies.’ My body hurt and yes, it was terrible.”
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stack of pills — picture.
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Her mother said authorities noticed, too.
“The police looked her in the eye,” Hodges said. “They saw she was dilated. Her eyes were crossed and very noisy, and they knew she had swallowed something she shouldn’t have.”
Da’Kyah’s case has now been shared with local Child Protective Services.
“In accordance with normal procedure for processing a report involving minor children, this case has been forwarded to Child Protective Services (CPS). MPD will continue to work with CPS as this case progresses,” a Minneapolis police spokesperson said, according to WCCO .
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As of Thursday, Hodges was still waiting on blood test results for Da’Kyah to see what her child may have consumed.
“Minneapolis Public Schools prioritizes the safety of all our students and takes all safety concerns seriously,” the district said in a statement. “Due to data privacy laws, we are unable to disclose specific details relating to this incident; however the matter is being investigated and we are working closely with those directly affected.”
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Principal Kelly Wright added in a statement to parents at Nellie Stone Johnson Elementary that “the safety and well-being of our students is always our top priority.”
“While we are unable to share additional information regarding these concerns due to state and federal data privacy laws, please know that we take this matter very seriously and are actively investigating the concerns that have been raised,” Wright continued.
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Source: HIS Education