Report: Middle school students offered free pizza in exchange for HIV testing — and some parents are furious

A new report alleges that Philadelphia-area middle school students were offered free pizza if they agreed to be tested for HIV.

What are the details?

Philadelphia Councilman Bobby Henon shared an update on Instagram on Tuesday, touting the program, which took place at an establishment called Jean's Pizza.

Henon wrote, "Stop by the Pop-Up Teen Wellness Station tomorrow from 3-6PM at #JeansPizza for free health screenings and wellness information!"

What have people said about this?

A spokesperson for the Philadelphia school district confirmed to Fox News on Thursday that the event — which was intended to target high school students, and not necessarily middle school students — was legitimate, and "provided general health information" as well as HIV screenings.

The spokesperson added that the event was not a district-approved event, and pointed out that it clearly did not take place on school grounds.

WPVI-TV reported that some students from Austin Meehan Middle School attended the event, and some parents were angered to find that their child attended the event without their knowledge or permission.

After the event, the district sent out a letter to parents explaining what happened.

"Normally, when our students are being targeted for health services, the District is communicated with directly before the event, but that did not happen in this case," the letter read. "It is our understanding that the Department of Health intended to target high school students as they were providing these services."

"District staff [is] communicating with the Department of Health's staff to get a clear understanding of what happened in this case to help ensure that everyone is better informed about activities that might affect our students," it added.

The Daily Caller reported that the event was approved by the Philadelphia Department of Health and was carried out by officials at the AIDS Healthcare Foundation's Speak Out program.

A spokesperson for the department told WPVI that "anyone who legally consents to HIV testing can be tested," despite age.