Officials are investigating the Jonesville reports as a separate matter. Courtesy | Facebook
As regional health officials continue to investigate the cause of seizures among students in Quincy, they have taken reports of similar symptoms in students attending Jonesville schools.
“We need to understand more about the calls we’ve gotten from Jonesville families,” said Rebecca Burns, health officer for the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency, in a Feb. 22 meeting. “We’re going to do some more checking.”
Burns said families from Jonesville Community Schools have reported symptoms similar to the seizures and tremors among students in Quincy Community Schools.
“At this point, we are not connecting the two together,” said Kris Dewey, public information officer for the BHSJ Community Health Agency. “In no way are we implicating Jonesville Schools in any way with what we have going on with Quincy Schools.”
Dewey said the agency is in the first stages of responding to individual reports, and its investigation is currently focusing on symptoms at Quincy Middle School and Quincy High School. Burns said it is still too early to tell how many students are experiencing these symptoms.
“I wouldn’t say at this time in Jonesville we’re actively involved in the same type of investigation,” Burns said.
Quincy parents initially reported symptoms such as seizures, tremors, tics, and twitches to the BHSJ Community Health Agency on Feb. 15, according to Burns. The agency began its investigation that day and has been searching for commonalities among affected students.
“It’s much too early to say that anything is the cause here,” Burns said.
Quincy Community Schools heard about the concerns Feb. 16, according to Superintendent Marc Kramer. He said the district conducted indoor air and water quality testing and expects to have results by March 1.
While students experiencing these symptoms share commonalities like living in Branch County and attending Quincy schools, Kramer said, there is not necessarily a connection between these conditions and the district. But he said out of an “abundance of caution,” the district contacted health officials.
“We’ve been in constant communication with Superintendent Kramer at Quincy Schools, and we’ve had communication also with William Poole at the City of Quincy who deals with their water supply,” Burns said.
Officials walked through Quincy Middle School and Quincy High School Feb. 21 and said they did not find anything immediately concerning, Burns said.
The BHSJ Community Health Agency is working with the state to compile a survey it hopes to send to Quincy parents electronically to collect relevant health information, according to Burns. She said this could help determine the number of students experiencing these symptoms.
“If they would like to complete the survey, whether their student had symptoms or not, we would be interested in collecting any information families would be willing to share with us,” Burns said.
The agency has also been in contact with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, according to Burns.
“The investigation will take time,” Burns said. “It would be very frightening to have a student with these types of neurological symptoms. So we understand and empathize with those families, and we are going to continue to work on an investigation that makes the most sense and is scientific, and try to come up with answers.”
Tom Matthew, vice chairman of the BHSJ Community Health Agency, said in the meeting the group should work with MDHHS, expedite the investigation, and contact state Sen. Jonathan Lindsey and state Rep. Andrew Fink.
Dewey said parents with concerns about their children’s health should seek guidance from their doctor, but the BHSJ Community Health Agency would be happy to speak with them.
“One of the district’s highest priorities is the health and safety of our students and staff,” Kramer said. “We wish positive health outcomes for our students and will fully cooperate in response to these concerns.”
