Teen suspended after he brings cookie that sickens classmates

<p>A high school student who brought a chocolate chip cookie to school has been suspended because it made eight fellow students sick.</p><p>The offending cookie, meanwhile, is being tested at a state crime lab.</p><p>The junior boy, who has not been named by school officials, apparently brought a large cookie to Glascock County Consolidated School on Oct. 1.</p><p>Eight fellow students, ranging in age from 14 to 17, ate the cookie. All became ill within 30 minutes, Georgia Bureau of Investigation spokesman John Bankhead said.</p><p>The students complained of stomach cramps, dizziness, dry heaves and a burning esophagus. They were taken to McDuffie Regional Medical Center, where two freshman girls stayed overnight for observation, hospital officials said.</p><p>School Principal Sally Garrett said all the students returned to school Monday, except one girl, who was back Tuesday.</p><p>Glascock County Sheriff Bryan Bopp drove the cookie to a GBI crime lab in Atlanta for testing the day the incident happened.</p><p>As of Friday, GBI officials still had not been able to determine what substance made the students ill, said Gary Hughes, the interim special agent in charge of the GBI's Thomson office.</p><p>Certain substances have been ruled out, but Hughes did not know which ones, he said. Crime lab technicians are trying to expedite the testing process _ which normally can take months _ because children are involved.</p><p>"Hopefully, by next week, we'll put this to rest," Hughes told The Augusta Chronicle.</p><p>Garrett said school officials and the boy's parents decided it would be best for him to be home schooled until "the incident is cleared up." Garrett said she delivers the boy's schoolwork to him each day.</p><p>"He's a good student and we've never had a discipline problem with him," she said.</p><p>___</p><p>HASH(0x28659e0)</p>

http://accesswdun.com/article/2004/10/159154