A Ridgeview High School parent says she’s worried about future school social events — like prom — after an incident at the homecoming dance last night sent at least two students to the hospital.
Some quickly took to Facebook Saturday after they said their kids returned home from homecoming in a panic.
“My daughter got a hold of me, and I went and picked her up from where she was, just because she was very shaken at that point,” said one mom, who wished to stay anonymous to protect her daughter’s identity.
She says she knows at least two students received medical attention. One was someone in her daughter’s friend group.
“It was said that he had had a seizure,” she said.
Comments on the Clay County Unfiltered Facebook group speculated that a few students might have had laced soda.
One student told us his friend drank a cup of Coca-Cola, then went “pale as a ghost.”
Another said one student could hardly keep himself up and looked like he was in a lot of pain.
However, the Clay County School District dispelled lacing rumors, saying in part, “school administration and the Clay County Sheriff’s Office currently have no evidence of drink tampering or related safety incidents.”
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office said on its Facebook page that two students drug-tested at the hospital showed no signs of screened-for substances in their systems.
But the father of one of two students taken to the hospital told Action News Jax that his son had a very high heart rate and blood pressure and was “catatonic and unresponsive.”
He was discouraged from speaking to us in a recorded phone interview after talking to detectives.
Sheriff Michelle Cook posted to Facebook that detectives are speaking with the students involved about whether they had ingested gummies or caffeine pills.
“I would hope that if there was something nefarious going on, that it would be identified,” said the mother of a student. “I would like them to get to the bottom of it.”
As for this mom — she says she just hopes prom isn’t a repeat.
“There’s not a lot of confidence in that it will be better policed,” she said. “How are they going to prevent something like this from happening again?”
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The Clay County Sheriff’s Office full statement is here:
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office, along with Clay County District Schools, are aware of the rumors circulating regarding the Ridgeview High School Homecoming dance on September 19th, 2026.
Rumors online suggested that there were spiked drinks during the event; there is currently no evidence of drink spiking or tampering and we are actively investigating these reports.
Members of the Clay County Sheriff’s Office and school administration were on site throughout the entire evening. During the homecoming dance, three students reported medical issues. Out of an abundance of caution, two were taken to a hospital by EMS and were released after a short stay; one did not go to the hospital.
The students who were taken to the hospital were drug tested and results showed there were no drugs found in their system.
On September 20th, 2026, detectives with the Clay County Sheriff’s Office followed up with the students involved and their parents. At this time, we have no reason to believe there was any sort of drink spiking, tampering or drug use; however, we will continue to investigate these reports and follow up on any leads that come in.
As part of Clay County District Schools safety standard protocols, all students were searched prior to entry, large bags were prohibited with only small clutch-type purses allowed and no outside food or drinks were permitted into the venue. The only concessions sold on site were sealed bottled water, pizza and Pelican’s SnoBalls.
The safety and well-bring of our students is always our top priority; we take every report extremely seriously. Anyone with additional information regarding this is encouraged to call us at 904-264-6512. You can also submit a tip through the SaferWatch app.
The Clay County School District’s full statement is below.
Regarding reports and social media rumors suggesting that drinks were spiked or laced during last night’s Homecoming dance at Ridgeview High School, school administration and the Clay County Sheriff’s Office currently have no evidence of drink tampering or related safety incidents. However, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office is actively investigating these reports.
As part of our standard safety protocols, all students were searched prior to entry, large bags were prohibited with only small clutch-type purses allowed, and no outside food or beverages were permitted into the venue. The only concessions sold on site were sealed bottled water, pizza, and Pelican’s SnoBalls.
During the evening, EMS was called out of an abundance of caution for a student who experienced an isolated personal medical issue. School administration has been in communication with the student’s family, and due to student privacy laws, no further details regarding the student will be released.
Anyone with specific or actionable information is encouraged to contact the Clay County Sheriff’s Office non-emergency line at (904) 264-6512.
The safety and well-being of our students is always our highest priority.
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