Waterloo Superintendent of Schools Brian Charron has since sought to clear the air following a Friday morning incident at one of the elementary schools that  prompted immediate response from several public safety agencies.

Emergency personnel rushed to Gardner Elementary School at 1 Ed Gardner Place off Fourth Street at about 9:30 a.m. after multiple students claimed to be feeling ill during a play practice inside the school gym.

The initial page for Waterloo Fire Department and Monroe County EMS personnel was for 10-11 students who had suddenly fainted inside the school. 

All students and staff were evacuated from the building as WFD and City of Waterloo utility personnel worked inside to determine if there was some sort of gas leak or other situation to repair.

Other responding agencies included the Waterloo Police Department, Monroe County Sheriff’s Department, Monroe County EMS and Columbia Fire Department.

“All students are safe, while a few are being monitored by EMS,” Charron stated in an initial text/email notification to parents.

At about 10:50 a.m., the school district sent out a notification that Gardner received an “all clear” from emergency personnel to resume classes as normal for the day.

“Strictly out of precaution, a few emergency personnel will have periodic presence for the remainder of the day,” a follow-up district notification stated.

Charron spoke with the Republic-Times shortly after noon Friday, reporting that no gas leak or other apparent cause for the incident had been determined by responding emergency services nor city utility personnel.

As Charron described then, about a dozen students were attending play practice in the gym when several said they were not feeling well and could be sick – Charron noted some of them were wearing costumes and could have been overheated, though the room was air conditioned.

Gardner fourth graders were preparing for the school’s annual performance of “The Blue and Gray” Civil War play taking place Monday evening. 

Some students wear traditional military coats and period style dresses as part of this performance.

Out of precaution, staff supervising the students at this practice evacuated the school and called 911.

Charron said that, per conversations he had with EMS and the school nurse on Friday, students who reported feeling ill were checked out by EMS, with a majority being taken home by parents, some remaining at school and none requiring transportation by Monroe County EMS for further medical attention.

Early Friday evening, Charron clarified that “after review of video surveillance… one student from today did clearly faint but was responsive to adults that rushed to her side.”

At least one parent posted on Facebook that they opted to take their student for medical evaluation on their own following the incident.

Charron further reported that following the incident, several members of the Waterloo Fire Department remained on-scene to briefly observe as folks returned to the building. Members of the Waterloo Department of Public Works similarly offered to return to the school later in the afternoon.

Charron added that during emergency inspection of the building, a leaking gas pipe and an air conditioning unit potentially leaking Freon were detected on top of Gardner’s roof, though, as responders did not identify a specific cause for the incident inside the gym, these did not appear to be related.

The rest of the school day continued as usual, albeit with a slight delay in the schedule. Charron expressed thanks for all responding agencies and departments for their quick turnout.

On Saturday afternoon, Charron provided an update that, through ongoing investigation and review of the situation at Gardner, it was determined that 31 students were evaluated by EMS on scene.

“All of these students were released to leave with parents,” he said. “No adults reported symptoms.”  

Charron further offered that seven of these 31 students ate breakfast at Gardner on Friday morning.

“Therefore, we do not suspect any connection regarding food consumption,” he said.

As for bus transportation prior to the incident, Charron stated that school officials are unsure of how many students arrived at school via bus transportation versus parent drop-off.  

“These 31 students are assigned to 15 separate bus routes,” he said. “One of these bus routes had five of these students assigned.  All other bus routes had one, two or three students assigned.  We do not suspect any connection regarding bus transportation.”

As for the minor gas leaks detected at the school during emergency inspection, Charron detailed that two were on the roof of the building – not near the gym – and one was in a boiler room at a union between two pipes. The two roof leaks were “tagged” and gas was shut off for repairs. The boiler room leak was repaired by tightening the connection and was rechecked by city utilities.  

“We do not suspect any connection to gas exposure,” Charron stressed.

As for a possible Freon leak detected on the roof, Charron said it was not near ventilation. Daiken TMi LLC inspected Gardner’s rooftop late Friday afternoon and determined it was not leaking Freon.

“Through pressure testing (Daiken) determined the unit was at factory settings for the appropriate level of Freon,” Charron added. “We do not suspect any connection to exposure to Freon.”

As for the play practice, Charron said nearly 170 fourth grade students and teachers were in the gym. 

“The majority of the students were standing in the bleachers, while some students on the gymnasium floor were practicing parts for the play,” Charron said. “Of the 31 students that were seen by EMS, 28 were from the gymnasium. Of these 28, a minority were wearing any type of heavy or bulky outfit as part of the play. We do not see a direct connection to the play uniforms, but continue to discuss this as a possible factor along with elevated humidity.” 

Charron offered that the gym temperature was 69 degrees at the time some students reported not feeling well.

“Due to lower temperatures, and thus the air conditioning not running a significant amount of the time, there may have been higher than normal humidity in the gymnasium,” he said. “Some adults in the gymnasium did report that it felt humid.”

Charron concluded by thanking the community for understanding as the school district continues to review available information related to Friday’s incident.

The Monday evening performance of “The Blue and Gray” took place at Gardner without any issues.