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About 20 first graders were taken to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Tuesday after their teacher found her students playing with suspected heroin.
Around noon the class instructor at John Barry Elementary School in West Philadelphia noticed a student playing with small packets, according to School District of Philadelphia spokesman Fernando Gallard.
The teacher noticed the packets contained a substance that resembled either heroin or cocaine and immediately evacuated the classroom.
The entire class of about 20 students were taken to CHOP for observation, Gallard said.
"The substance is still under review by Philadelphia Police, but it did look like a controlled substance," Gallard said."So far we don't have any reports of any students having any kind of physical reaction."
The parents were notified and told to pick up their children at the hospital.
The main concern was whether or not the drug could be absorbed without ingestion.
"My understanding is that either cocaine or heroin can be absorbed through the skin," Gallard said.
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