ATLANTA — A lab test conducted by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation found THC in a food sample from Sandtown Middle School, where 28 students were sent to local hospitals last week after eating Valentine's Day treats.
Twenty-four of those students were sent home fairly quickly, but four were kept overnight for observation. They have all since recovered.
The GBI announced Thursday morning that its crime lab had received 46 items of food for testing from the Fulton County Schools Police Department. One of those tested positive for THC, the primary active ingredient in marijuana.
A Fulton school police incident report indicated that some of the sick students had eaten Rice Krispies treats and heart-shaped lollipops, among other snacks.
“Test results of one of the items that has the appearance of cereal has revealed the presence of THC,” the GBI said in a statement.
GBI officials said they are testing the treats for other drugs as well.
Channel 2's Tyisha Fernandes was in Fulton County, where school officials gave an update on the incident Thursday afternoon.
Dr. Shannon Flounnory, the Fulton County Schools director of safety and security, confirmed the GBI's results, saying that officials believe it was a student or multiple students who brought the THC-laced treats into the school.
"All indications are that they were brought in to the school by students," Flounnory said.
Officials said the criminal investigation is ongoing, but in the meantime, they are working to educate students about the dangers of "drug-laced edibles."
School officials have not disciplined anyone yet, but said punishment could include expulsion.
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Flounnory said that the school's policy was that no one, students or teachers, are allowed to pass out treats on campus, but students were allowed to do it on Valentine's Day.
"There’s not a school in the country anywhere on Valentine's Day that someone didn’t bring something in," Flounnory said. "You know, things happen, we have to learn from it."
After what happened, policies of passing around treats on holidays could be more enforced.
Students are back at school this week.
Officials said they are not in danger while investigators work to get to the bottom of this, but multiple parents have told Channel 2 Action News that they're still afraid to send their kids back to school.
Watch the news conference in its entirety below:
Our investigative partners at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and AJC.com contributed to this report.