Feb. 14 (UPI) -- More than two dozen Fulton County middle school students were taken to hospital Thursday after falling ill from eating Valentine's Day candy, authorities said.
The Sandtown Middle School students were taken to two area hospitals by paramedics after reporting feeling nauseous and disoriented after eating candy and snacks, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reported.
Initial reports said 21 students were taken to hospital, but that number later rose to 28.
"When students began reporting their symptoms, we partnered with local municipalities to immediately get them medical attention as quickly as possible," the Fulton County Schools Chief Academic Officer Clifford Jones said in a statement. "For the safety of all, students and staff were instructed not to eat anything given to them by another person and not to eat anything they didn't bring from their own home."
The incident is being investigated by local police, he said, but they do not know what caused the students to fall ill yet.
Police is also investigating whether there was an attempt to harm the students or if drugs were involved.
Samples of the candy have been sent to a lab for testing, Fulton Country Board of Health spokeswoman Alicia Cardwell Alston said, adding that more should be known by Friday.
City of South Fulton Councilwoman Catherine Rowell, who has a daughter at the school, said the first priority was to ensure all students were safe.
"Everyone has jumped in and responded appropriately," she said, WSB-TV2 reported.
