Elementary students hospitalized for cocaine use

Several students at Thomson Elementary became ill around noon after ingesting a powdery substance that turned out to be cocaine. The students, some in tears, were whisked to an area hospital, but none of the symptoms appeared to be serious, D.C. fire department spokesman Pete Piringer said.

D.C. Council member Jack Evans, whose district includes the school at 1200 L St., said the District should conduct a full investigation into how the drugs got into the students' hands.

"It's tragic. It's cocaine," Evans said. "It's an illegal substance, nobody ought to be playing with it."

One student brought the drug to the redbrick schoolhouse Thursday and passed it to his classmates, school officials said. Shortly after noon, several children complained that their throats hurt and told their teacher they had swallowed inhaled or the powdery substance through the nose, officials said.

The school nurse evaluated the children, and four students were taken away in ambulances. A fifth student was also transported by a parent. The student who brought the drug to school has been charged with possession of cocaine.

A spokesman for the D.C. Public Schools would not disclose information about the children involved, including their ages, because he said he was getting conflicting reports.

D.C. police and officials with the D.C. Child and Family Services Agency are investigating.

The newly renovated Thomas Elementary prides itself on its arts, academics and diversity, according to the school's Web site. It was the first D.C. public school to provide Chinese language instruction and it's the closest elementary public school to the White House.

Washington Post education columnist Jay Mathews touted Thomson and urged President Obama and the first lady to send their daughters there.

On Thursday, school officials notified the parents of the students involved and sent a note home with the school's more than 370 students explaining the incident.

Students were scheduled to be off Friday for a professional development day for teachers. Counselors will be on hand Monday to discuss the incident with students and teachers, said D.C. schools spokesman Fred Lewis. The counselors will use the case to educate the students about the dangers of drugs.