Well, this is awful. A number of students at Silver Lake's Micheltorena Street Elementary School were sickened earlier this week after eating vegetables grown in the school's community garden, as confirmed in a statement from LAUSD.KTLA reports that at least one student at the elementary school was hospitalized, reportedly after eating mushrooms grown in the garden. The Micheltorena community garden—a partnership between the school and the community, and a Silver Lake fixture since it opened in 2010—has been temporarily closed by the school district.
"When I sent him to school he was healthy, and when I picked him up he could barely walk," Ted Acosta, the father of a ten-year-old Micheltorena student, told KTLA. Acosta's son Chris was hospitalized at Children's Hospital on Wednesday afternoon. Acosta said that his son had told him that his whole fifth grade class had visited the garden earlier that day.
"The person working in the garden offered the kids some mushrooms, and he just picked it up from the ground and gave it to the kids. Within thirty to forty minutes, many kids got sick, including mine. They started throwing up," Acosta told KTLA. The station reports that the school later called every parent to notify them that several students had gotten sick after eating something from the garden.
In statement, LAUSD Superintendent Michelle King said that the Office of Environmental Health and Safety team is currently investigating this issue and will provide updates as they become available.
"In addition, in an abundance of caution, I have directed our safety team to inspect every district garden for potential hazards," King said. "We wish the affected children a speedy recovery, and remain dedicated to the safety and well-being of all of our students."
