By somd.com Staff Writers
CALIFORNIA, Md. (June 9, 2011)—Twenty-four students from Charles County Public Schools, 22 students from Calvert County Public Schools, and
13 students from St. Mary's Public Schools were taken to local hospitals today for treatment of heat-related symptoms. The students, from a number of different schools, were on an end-of-year field trip attending a Blue Crabs baseball game at the Blue Crabs Stadium in Waldorf.
A number of students at the stadium began showing symptoms shortly before noon. Charles County Emergency Services personnel were called to the stadium, as well as units from all Charles County rescue stations. Andrews Air Force Base and Anne Arundel County also sent mass casualty units to assist. Those students who required immediate medical attention were attended to by emergency personnel at the stadium and transported to area hospitals as needed. A total of 82 patients from Charles, St. Mary's and Calvert counties were treated and/or transported.
As schools personnel were deciding to return to their schools because of the heat, the Blue Crab Organization decided to end the event early,
according to a statement released by Calvert Co. Public Schools today.
The Charles County school system bused all of their students back to their schools,
according to a statement released this evening. Students not requiring medical attention were taken to cooling stations where they had access to ice and additional water until they boarded buses back to school. Upon returning to the school, all students had the opportunity to be seen by the school nurse.
Charles County school system staff and pupil personnel workers contacted parents of those students transported to area hospitals. When weather forecasts predict temperatures that are higher than normal, the school system administers a heat advisory to all schools and centers with restrictions to limit outdoor activities. Additionally, all students and staff are required to take mandatory breaks during periods of outdoor activity and students must have access to water at all times.
According to Calvert County Public Schools, 3 of their students were treated at the stadium and transported to the hospital. Those students have been released. The
remaining students and adult chaperones returned to schools where they were checked out and a total of 22 students were taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure. As of 4:15 today all students were released.
Six Calvert Co. schools participated in today's field trip. They were: Appeal
Elementary School (9 students attended); Barstow Elementary School (89 students
attended); Calvert Elementary School (103 students attended); Mill Creek Middle
School (5 students attended); Patuxent High School (8 students attended); and
Southern Middle School (85 students attended).
"While we understand that these plans are made weeks and months in advance, we are going to review our field trip procedures as they apply to days when weather reports predict extreme heat to avoid such situations in the future," wrote Jack Smith, Superintendent of Schools in Calvert County in a note to parents this afternoon.
According to St. Mary's Public Schools, 13 SMCPS students were treated and
released from St. Mary's Hospital in Leonardtown. No one required admittance.
Updated 2011-June-10 @2:54 p.m.: Add clarification from SMCPS on number of
students sent to area hospitals.