Police, DHS called in after 4-year-old brings eight bags of crack cocaine to East Falls elementary school [updated]

A young student at an East Falls elementary school is hospitalized after bringing drugs and cash into a classroom on Tuesday morning.

District officials told reporters that a 4-year-old student in the Thomas Mifflin School’s Pre-K program brought a controlled substance suspected to be crack cocaine and approximately $200 in cash to the school in his pockets.

District spokesman Fernando Gallard said that the student, who was not further identified, showed the contents of his pockets to another student, who relayed the information to a teacher.

He described both the suspected narcotics and the cash as being in bags.

Gallard said that school personnel then notified both Philadelphia Police and the Department of Human Services.

As part of the initial investigation, a K-9 unit was also brought to the school to ensure that nothing was left behind.

The 4-year-old was taken to an area hospital for supervision, although Gallard said that the measure was precautionary.

Letters will be sent home to Mifflin school families, and Gallard said counseling and support services will be available to students.

“We’ll try to make the day as normal as possible for the other pre-k students,” said Gallard.

While police and DHS continue their investigations, the school remains open and classes are being conducted. The child’s custody will ultimately be determined by DHS.

“The good news is that this was found very quickly and that we had one student who came forward and told an adult, which is what we want to see,” said Gallard.

Update

Police said Wednesday afternoon that the child did, in fact, have eight ziploc baggies filled with crack cocaine. No charges have been filed in the case yet, police said.

Original story

A Philadelphia Police spokeswoman tells NewsWorks that they are still awaiting confirmation of reports that a preschooler was reportedly found in possession of illegal drugs and a large amount of cash at Mifflin Elementary School in East Falls on Tuesday morning.

Content partner NBC10 is reporting that “Philadelphia police [are] conducting a drug sweep … after money and possibly cocaine were found. Pre-schoolers were moved to the auditorium of Mifflin Elementary, according to Fernando Gallard, a spokesman for the school district.”

NewsWorks is en route to the school located at Midvale Ave. and Conrad St. and will prove updates when available.

Additional reporting by Brian Hickey.