District: Students OK after swallowing birth-control pills

Nine second-grade students swallowed birth-control pills, prompting a health scare Thursday morning at a school in the Mill Creek section of West Philadelphia, a district spokesman said.

None of the children got sick, said Fernando Gallard, the spokesman.

A second-grade girl brought the pills to Rudolph Blankenburg Elementary School at 4600 W. Girard Ave. and shared them with numerous other students between 10 and 10:30 a.m., Gallard said. Believing they were candy, nine students ate the pills, and three others tasted them.

A school staff member noticed the girl with the pills and learned what happened. Medics were called to check the students.

"After examination, they determined there was no need for any further medical treatment," Gallard said.

Letters were sent to parents to notify them about the situation, he said. School officials spoke with the mother of the student who brought the pills. The district did not intend to take further action.

The school was using the incident as a reminder to parents to keep medication secure and warn children to be careful about what they put in their mouths, he said.