East Texas

QUITMAN — One Quitman Junior High School student remains hospitalized after taking what police have identified as blood pressure medication along with five other students at school on Tuesday.

The student was transported from East Texas Medical Center-Quitman to Children’s Medical Center Dallas on Friday, police officials said.

Quitman ISD Superintendent Bill Travis told the Tyler Morning Telegraph on Wednesday that all six hospitalized seventh- and eighth-grade boys and girls who took the drug had been released; but on Friday, Travis said that was incorrect and one student remains hospitalized.

Four were released Tuesday, one stayed overnight at ETMC-Quitman and the sixth was transported from Quitman to Dallas on Thursday, said Dr. Jose Martinez, of ETMC-Mineola.

Quitman Police Chief Bill Wansley said the drug used was Altace, a high blood pressure medication, in 10 milligram blue capsules.

“One student brought nine capsules to campus,” Wansley said. “This student took the capsules from his home.”

One middle school student received the drug and threw it away. Another six ingested the Altace and did not snort or sniff the powder inside the capsules, he said.

They experienced a drop in blood pressure and an accelerated heart beat on Tuesday, but were awake and monitored by school officials before ambulances arrived, Travis said.

The students didn’t know what they were taking, Wansley said, and could not identify pictures of drugs at ETMC.

Travis said the use of Altace was unusual.

“Kids normally take things like Vicodin, hydrocodone,” he said. “We were seeing blood pressure dropping, that’s what really alerted us … the kids were scared.”

The student transported to Dallas didn’t appear to have different symptoms than the others, he said.

“He was not the worse one — he is a smallish child,” Travis said on Friday. “I visited with his relatives today and they were waiting for a bed to open so they could do some additional testing in Dallas … I’m guessing they’re going to see what kind of damage this has done.”

The father of the student who brought the drugs to school provided a sample of Altace from his home to the police, enabling doctors to confirm the drug’s identification.

The student who brought the pills faces a possible state-jail felony charge, delivery of a dangerous drug, Wansley said.

“This case is still under investigation to determine what criminal charges are to be filed,” he said.

Every child who handled, used or distributed the drug will not return to the school, but must attend the area’s alternative school, Lake Country Learning Center, for an allotted time, Travis said.

The time will vary depending on how egregious the child’s involvement was, he said.

“Every child that had an illegal or prescription medication at Quitman will be removed from our campus,” Travis said.

Five of the students and their parents met with Quitman officials on Thursday and Friday to discuss their punishment, he said. The boy who is hospitalized will have his disciplinary hearing when he returns to Quitman, he said.