Around 20 middle school and high school students who attended the Connecticut Music Educators All-State Conference at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford over the weekend became ill and the convention center is looking into whether the food served to students contributed to the illnesses.
"We are aware we had some students become ill over the course of our event. As per our policy, we had a professional nurse on staff. We cared for them and we are cooperating with the appropriate authorities, including the Department of Health to determine what the cause may have been," Barbara Skrebutenas, executive director of the Connecticut Music Educators Association, said in a statement.
The weekend gathering was for the most elite high school and middle school musicians from across the state who went gone through a rigorous audition process to perform for parents, band directors and colleges.
Staff from the Connecticut Convention Center released a statement saying that they are aware of reports of people attending the conference getting ill.
“We are working proactively with the City of Hartford Department of Health and Human Services and CMEA to investigate the situation. The safety of our guests and the integrity of our food service has always been our highest priority and we will remain in full cooperation with the health department,” a statement from the Connecticut Convention Center says.
Around 2,000 people attended the conference.
Convention center staff later said they are looking into the food served to students.
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Officials from the state Department of Health said they will be meeting with the City of Hartford Department of Health and Human Services.
The conference ran from March 30 to April 1, according to the Convention Center website.
