Pine Level Elementary cancels outdoor activities for the year as kids report symptoms
PRATTVILLE − All outdoor activities at Pine Level Elementary School have been cancelled for the remainder of the year after dozens of students experience allergy like symptoms of skin and eye irritation.
The K-6 school has an enrollment of 971. May 23 is the last day of the academic year.
The school and outdoors areas of the campus have been “thoroughly” tested, said Gary Weaver, director of the Autauga County Emergency Management Agency. No toxins, poisons or hazardous materials were found, he said.
A military hazardous materials team known as a Civil Support Team responded to the school on April 28, the first day that the reactions were reported. The team was joined by a unit from the Montgomery Fire and Rescue Department.
“They tested everything, and everything came back negative for hazardous materials, on the campus and inside the school,” Weaver said Wednesday. “If there had been something there, it would have been found. Our investigation is over.
“If the schools ask us to come out again, of course we will, but the tests we have conducted found nothing.”
Right now, officials say the reactions seem to have been caused by pollen in the area.
The first report was on April 28, when about 40 students complained of “minor skins and eye irritations,” a release from the Autauga County School district said. Another round of irritations were reported the following Monday, May 1.
A nearby fire was considered as a source, but testing proved negative. Another theory was that a passing commercial vehicle may have had an accidental leak of chemicals, but that was also disproven.
The Pine Level Volunteer Fire Department hosed down the playground areas of the school, and the inside of the school was cleaned.
As a precaution, outdoor activities were suspended. On Monday, students were allowed to go outside for 10 minutes at a time with the idea being that if no more irritations were reported, outdoor activity would be gradually increased during the week, said Rebecca Thomas, communications coordinator for the schools.
Several students reported irritation on Monday, similar to the past incidents, she said. Principal Christen Harry decided to halt all outdoor activities for the remainder of the school year, Thomas said.
The schools are continuing to look into any possible causes, Thomas said.
“We are working with the extension service to see if we have any plants nearby that may be the cause,” she said. “We are working diligently to keep out parents informed. As a mama, I want to know the cause.”
Along with the local EMA, and civil support team and MFRD personnel, the search for the cause of the irritation included the Alabama Department of Public Health, Alabama Department of Environmental Management and the EPA.
Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Marty Roney at mroney@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Pine Level Elementary to keep kids indoors amid reports of symptoms
