San Francisco students expected to recover after ingesting unknown substance

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- San Francisco police and fire responded to a medical emergency this afternoon at James Lick Middle School in the Mission-Dolores neighborhood.

"I saw a Twitter feed pop up about kids being poisoned," said parent Tia Mignone, who was among many who rushed to campus to pick up their kids and learned that 10 students were sick after ingesting some type of substance -- one of them is in critical condition.

Mignone's 8th-grade daughter suspects drugs. "They've definitely come to school on something. They smelled like weed a couple times," said Mingone's daughter. "Weird to know kids my age are doing drugs."

Whatever the substance these students took, it made several of them sick to their stomach.

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"She just said that she ate something and then after that she got sick," said Christie Alvarado, who is in 8th grade. "I saw her throw up today in the hallway."

Alvarado says her friend was one of the students who got sick. She and her mother say they've become increasingly frustrated with problems at school.

"Sometimes when I use the bathroom, you can smell the marijuana (in the school)," said Alvarado's mom Jeanette.

"The school has changed a lot. There's been more fights and like more drug use that I've seen and smelled," Alvarado added.

When asked if she told the teachers if she noticed something wrong, Alvarado replied, "I tell the security guards but they don't do anything."

Several of the students were taken to San Francisco General for treatment. They are all expected to recover.