School District Officials Say Albany Middle Schoolers Who Ingested Pills Released from Hospital

The Superintendent of Albany Unified School District released a statement this morning after five middle school students were taken to the hospital yesterday.

According to school officials, the students were taken to UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland after they took pills on Wednesday morning. The district has not released information about what kind of pills were ingested by the students.

Related:

• 5 Albany Middle School Students Hospitalized After Ingesting Pills

Update on Albany Middle School Students:

I am relieved to notify our school community that Deborah Brill, Principal at Albany Middle School, has been in touch with the families of the students who were transported to the hospital Wednesday due to the ingestion of pills. The students were released from the hospital and home with their families.

Professionals at Albany Middle School and local emergency service providers moved swiftly to take care of our children, and I am sure you share my gratitude for their quick action.

This is an opportunity for our entire school community to learn from this situation. We must speak openly, honestly and firmly with the students about the consequences of risky behaviors. I urge all parents to speak with their children about the dangers of taking someone else’s prescription medication.

We will have counseling services available to students at the middle school. Additionally, we will review steps we can take to fortify our student support services, including lessons on safe and healthy behaviors. We will fully examine this situation, and take action based on facts and the law. Our actions will be guided by our commitment to student health and safety. We want to remind you that student privacy must be protected, and that at this time we are most concerned about the childrens’ well-being.

Reflecting on just how much we care about our children – every single child in our district is our shared responsibility – and let’s reaffirm our commitment to tell each child that their health and well-being is as important to us as their academic achievements.

With great respect,

Val Williams

Photo via Shutterstock

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