5 students overdose at Haltom City high school, possibly for TikTok challenge, 2 go to hospital

James Hartley
·1 min read

Five students who overdosed at Shannon High School in Haltom City on Friday may have been ingesting medication as a part of a TikTok challenge, officials with MedStar believe.

Matt Zavadsky, a spokesman for MedStar, said two of the students had overdose symptoms that warranted a trip to the hospital while three were treated and released at the scene.

MedStar is concerned there may be some connection between the overdoses at Shannon High School and four overdoses at Fort Worth’s Polytechnic High School on Thursday, but the spokesman for the paramedic company that provides emergency medical services for both Fort Worth and Haltom City said that connection is not definitive.

The Fort Worth overdoses led to two of the students being taken to the hospital. There is no word as to what the Fort Worth students took to overdose.

“We want to get the word out that if that [a TikTok challenge] is the case, parents and kids should be warned that taking medication that is not prescribed can be very dangerous, even deadly,” Zavadsky said.

Zavadsky said parents should also be on the lookout for signs of changes in behavior or secretive social media activities from their kids.

Spokespeople for Fort Worth and Birdville school districts did not respond to requests for comment on Friday. A representative for Fort Worth schools told the Star-Telegram on Thursday that they could not share any information because minors were involved, but that the school district is taking “appropriate measures.”