2 teens suffer chemical burns during science lab activity at north Georgia school, 1 hospitalized

WSBTV.com News Staff
·2 min read

Habersham County Schools confirmed to Channel 2 Action News that two students were badly burned during a science lab activity. One of the students remains in the hospital.

Channel 2′s Tom Regan learned that the student was taken to the burn unit at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta.

The accident happened Thursday afternoon at the Habersham Ninth Grade Academy when three students were working on an activity.

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The school district said one of the students did not follow safety protocols, resulting in their classmates suffering chemical burns.

“Although an investigation of the incident is ongoing, it does not appear there was malicious intent by the student who did not follow safety protocols,” Superintendent Matthew Cooper wrote in a statement.

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Cooper said the science teacher quickly went to help the students. Both of them were taken to local hospitals. One has been released, while the other is still being treated.

Regan was at the school Friday, where an ambulance from a nearby fire station was quickly dispatched after an emergency call came in from the school asking for immediate help.

“We have two students both of them with chemical burns. One, his entire front torso, the other student his back,” the 911 caller said. “That is pretty well-burned, probably about 80% of his back.”

A parent Regan talked to said the teacher should be held accountable.

“Whoever is in charge of the classroom has to keep an eye on everything,” the parent said.

It’s unclear if the teacher is facing any disciplinary action.

The school district said it cannot confirm the conditions of the students due to privacy laws, but they have spoke with the students’ parents about the incident.

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