Miss-Delectable
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HeraldNet: Pepper spray sickens 29
A dispute that ended in a misty blast of pepper spray sent 29 Edmonds-Woodway High School students to hospitals Monday, officials said.
All the students were treated and released.
"One student sprayed the other with personal defense pepper spray in an apparent act of self-defense," said Sgt. Don Anderson of the Edmonds Police Department.
The confrontation between the two girls occurred around 11:30 a.m. in a wide-open hallway where many students were gathered.
Several students were exposed initially and the school of 1,800 was evacuated.
Classes resumed around noon, but some spray had not dissipated in a small pocket of the campus, said Debbie Jakala, an Edmonds School District spokeswoman.
That resulted in more students complaining about breathing problems and needing medical treatment.
Particularly vulnerable were some students in the school's deaf and hard-of-hearing program, who have medical conditions.
Angel Parrish accompanied her son, Austin, 13, to Providence Everett Medical Center.
Austin has respiratory problems and had spinal meningitis as a child, she said.
"He understands what happened, but not why it happened," Parrish said.
Austin is transitioning into the high school's program for deaf and hard-of-hearing students that attracts students from several school districts in the region. He'll stay home from school today, she said.
"I have to hand it to the kids," she said. "No one was freaking out. ... They kept their composure better than I would have."
Kelsey Kirshner, 17, a senior in the deaf and hard-of-hearing program with respiratory problems and cerebral palsy, also was taken to Providence.
Her stepfather, Jim Rabourn, said he doesn't want the incident brushed off.
"Pepper spray can really hurt these kids," Rabourn said. "This was a big deal."
Edmonds-Woodway Principal Alan Weiss sent a phone message to parents:
"Please encourage your students not to bring pepper spray to school. If students believe that someone is threatening them, they need to contact an adult so that the administration can intervene."
School and police were investigating the cause of the confrontation Monday afternoon .
"Any potential charges are pending the outcome of that investigation," said Anderson of the Edmonds police.
A dispute that ended in a misty blast of pepper spray sent 29 Edmonds-Woodway High School students to hospitals Monday, officials said.
All the students were treated and released.
"One student sprayed the other with personal defense pepper spray in an apparent act of self-defense," said Sgt. Don Anderson of the Edmonds Police Department.
The confrontation between the two girls occurred around 11:30 a.m. in a wide-open hallway where many students were gathered.
Several students were exposed initially and the school of 1,800 was evacuated.
Classes resumed around noon, but some spray had not dissipated in a small pocket of the campus, said Debbie Jakala, an Edmonds School District spokeswoman.
That resulted in more students complaining about breathing problems and needing medical treatment.
Particularly vulnerable were some students in the school's deaf and hard-of-hearing program, who have medical conditions.
Angel Parrish accompanied her son, Austin, 13, to Providence Everett Medical Center.
Austin has respiratory problems and had spinal meningitis as a child, she said.
"He understands what happened, but not why it happened," Parrish said.
Austin is transitioning into the high school's program for deaf and hard-of-hearing students that attracts students from several school districts in the region. He'll stay home from school today, she said.
"I have to hand it to the kids," she said. "No one was freaking out. ... They kept their composure better than I would have."
Kelsey Kirshner, 17, a senior in the deaf and hard-of-hearing program with respiratory problems and cerebral palsy, also was taken to Providence.
Her stepfather, Jim Rabourn, said he doesn't want the incident brushed off.
"Pepper spray can really hurt these kids," Rabourn said. "This was a big deal."
Edmonds-Woodway Principal Alan Weiss sent a phone message to parents:
"Please encourage your students not to bring pepper spray to school. If students believe that someone is threatening them, they need to contact an adult so that the administration can intervene."
School and police were investigating the cause of the confrontation Monday afternoon .
"Any potential charges are pending the outcome of that investigation," said Anderson of the Edmonds police.
