Three students at Monhagen Middle School in Middletown were taken to the hospital by ambulance on Wednesday after ingesting a “gummy-like substance,” according to the district.

Several parents reached out late Wednesday afternoon alerting News 12 to the incident and with concerns. Others News 12 interviewed are outraged by the incident.

“It makes me want to puke because little kids like that should not be getting introduced to stuff like that. I have 9-year-old twins and a 5-year-old in school, so if something like that happens to my kids, I’m going to the school and raising a lot of hell," says Ray Edwards.

According to a district statement, the incident and ensuing medical emergency at the school on County Route 78 is under investigation. Authorities are working to confirm what the substance was.

District Superintendent Amy Creeden tells News 12 that the students who were sickened are OK. She says a fourth student also ingested the substance but did not display any symptoms and was evaluated by their primary care physician as a precaution.

“I’m glad that these types of incidences are grabbing people’s full attention because it is very concerning what our young people have such readily available access to in their communities,” Creeden says. “We are very concerned about this situation and remain vigilant with educating our young people on the dangers of consuming unknown substances.”

School administrators are encouraging families to talk to students about being careful about what they consume, especially if they are unsure about what it is.

Dr. Robert Best is the medical director at MidHudson Regional’s pediatric emergency department in Poughkeepsie. He says providers have seen an uptick in kids ingesting legal marijuana, either by mistake or to experiment.

“The problem is they don’t know how much to take. The effects don’t come on for a while. ‘Nothing’s happening so I’m going to take another one and another one,’” says Dr. Best.

The physician says too much THC exposure in kids can cause a range of effects from minor to severe. In one recent case he treated, he says a teen suffered a serious reaction after ingesting much more than the recommended dose for an adult.

“This was a 1,000 mg bar. She had about 100 to 200 adult doses and stopped breathing. She had to be intubated and airlifted,” Dr. Best says.

He recommends parents keep products out of sight and in child-proof containers.

Town of Wallkill police are investigating the incident.