A Dartmouth, N.S., parent says she’s alarmed and upset after her 12-year-old son had to be rushed to hospital because he consumed cannabis edibles at his junior high school.
Ashley Ryder says not only did the school not call 911, they sent him home on the school bus as normal.
“This could have been a fatal outcome, I am very very thankful it was not. However, they were negligent with my son,” she said.
Ryder says the ordeal began Tuesday, when she received a voicemail from Caledonia Junior High School. The message, which she shared with Global News, stated her son Quinten had told them he had consumed THC-infused edibles given to him by another student.
“I’m not entirely sure what’s going on here, to be perfectly honest,” the voicemail concluded.
After hearing the message, Ryder says she phoned the school back, but no one picked up.
By the time her Grade 7 son got off the school bus, she knew something was wrong.
“He was spacey when he was speaking. He was very slurred,” she said.
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According to the Atlantic Canada Poison Centre Team, those were telltale signs of an overdose.
“In children the most common symptoms you’re going to see are drowsiness, slurred speech, some muscle weakness. If anyone ever thinks a child could have gotten into a cannabis edible, we would recommend calling the poison centre.” said team lead, Jill Duncan.
When Ryder asked her son what had happened, he said an older student had given him the gummies.
“(The student) said they’re sour apple gummy candies, and then he gave me two handfuls. I ate them, and I couldn’t move for a while,” he told Global News.
Ryder says her son could barely hold up his own body weight and she became incredibly worried because of her son’s medical history, which includes prescription medication.
“Not knowing any more information than what was left on my voicemail was terrifying. So due to all his medical conditions, we called and Uber and we went to the hospital,” she said.
At the IWK Health Centre, a children’s hospital in Halifax, Ryder says staff confirmed to her that her son had experienced an overdose.
“They said it was an overdose and they ran an EKG. It took several health-care professionals to hold my child down, because he has a phobia of needles. It was extremely traumatic,” she said.
Quinten was discharged later that night, only to be back in the ER the next day with chest pains.
Police report filed
Ryder says she informed the school her son had overdosed under their supervision, but she felt they were dismissive.
She alleges the school failed in their duty of care and should have called 911 when they first noticed something was wrong. She has since filed a police report and says she’s considering legal action.
“This could have been a fatal outcome. I am very, very thankful it was not. However, they were negligent with my son,” she said.
In a statement to Global News, Halifax Regional Centre for Education says school administration was notified a student may have ingested cannabis and the situation was “closely monitored.”
“School administration will work cooperatively with police partners should the matter be investigated further,” wrote spokesperson Lindsey Bunin.
“The safety of our students and staff is top priority. Anyone who threatens to or endangers the well-being of others will receive appropriate consequences for their actions in accordance with the Provincial School Code of Conduct.”
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Mother upset with school response after 12-year-old ingests edibles, rushed to hospital
