Carbon monoxide leak sends 23 students to hospital in Winter Haven: Police
WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - 23 students are being evaluated at Winter Haven Hospital after police say a carbon monoxide leak was detected outside of Cypress Junction Montessori School on Friday morning.
What we know:
According to the Winter Haven Police Department, the school was immediately evacuated after the carbon monoxide detector went off inside the school.
Firefighters at the scene confirmed the source of the leak was outside the school with a small bit of odor inside.
Officials said students who complained of any sort of distress were immediately evaluated by medical personnel on scene.
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12 students were taken to Winter Haven Hospital by ambulance, and another 11 students were taken by a school bus.
All parents have been notified by the school.
The remaining students and staff were safely escorted to an adjacent building not connected to the impacted structure.
"We immediately went into the building and said guys, this is not a drill. Let's go. Get up. File out, and we took them across the street, and they were well-behaved and listened and got to safety," said Dr. Kris Newman, the school president and CEO.
Dig deeper:
Crews have completed a thorough inspection and ventilation of the building and the air quality is clear.
However, crews will remain on scene to continue evaluation out of an abundance of caution.
The Source: This article was written with information found in a press release from the Winter Haven Police Department and the chief. It also includes a statement made by the school's president and CEO.