A seventh grade Redland Middle School is in ICU at Children’s Hospital after a medical episode at the school Tuesday afternoon.
Elmore County Schools superintendent Richard Dennis said school and county administrators are looking into what happened. Principal Chad Walls is traveling to Birmingham Wednesday morning to visit with the student and family.
“It scared us to death,” Dennis said. “It really shook up the staff there.”
Dennis said he got a phone call about the incident and immediately responded to the campus Tuesday afternoon.
“While in route I get a call from the principal,” Dennis said. “I could tell it was something serious.”
Dennis said students were playing basketball during PE and took a break. The student along with a friend go to the top of the bleachers and sit down. Two more friends joined them.
“We have video of this and it looks like the student just slumped over,” Dennis said. “The friends run to get help.”
Dennis said the PE coach and nurse responded and began to administer aid.
“There were AEDs and such,” Dennis said. “They didn’t know what was going on.”
Dennis said more than 20 first responders arrived at the scene including firefighters and Haynes Ambulance.
“The student was placed in an ambulance to be stabilized before they lifeflighted him to Children’s Hospital,” Dennis said.
As of Wednesday morning the child is still in ICU and Walls is en route to comfort the family and see what might have happened.
“Meanwhile we are going back through the video from the school, even earlier in the day to see what, if anything, might have happened,” Dennis said.
A Remind message was sent to parents about a student being transported by ambulance from the school.
“It is not uncommon for a student to have a medical situation such as a seizure at school,” Dennis said. “Sometimes they are transported by ambulance and sometimes parents. This one shocked us all.”
