Health officials are still working to discover the cause of students’ sickness. Courtesy | Facebook
Quincy Community Schools meet air and water safety standards, superintendent Marc Kramer said, as school and health officials are seeking to determine the cause of seizures and other ailments among students.
“Water testing results received so far showed no issues with the water supply at our schools and that it is safe for consumption,” Kramer said. “Results showed no issues with our indoor air quality.”
The district requested indoor air and water quality testing after parents reported neurological symptoms including seizures, tremors, and tics among students, Kramer said. The reports, posted on the district’s website, do not appear to show the presence of contaminants exceeding safety guidelines.
Kramer said the district partnered with Trace Analytical Laboratories and Michigan Air and Mold to conduct the testing.
The air quality tests aimed to find dust, debris, mold, and gasses, but when officials received the results Feb. 29, the air met Environmental Protection Agency safety standards, according to Kramer. He was still expecting the final batch of water reports as of March 2, and the Collegian did not hear back with more current information in time for publication.
“Out of an abundance of caution, the district decided to request water testing and air testing to ensure the conditions were not created or aggravated by attending our district buildings,” Kramer said. “The health department has indicated that they have no link directly connecting the school with any of these concerns.”
Quincy parents reported symptoms to the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency on Feb. 15, and the agency has been investigating the cause ever since.
“We appreciate the additional steps that Quincy Schools has taken to have air and water samples tested,” said Kris Dewey, public information officer for the BHSJ Community Health Agency.
The agency sent officials on a walkthrough of Quincy Middle School and Quincy High School Feb. 21, according to Kramer, but they did not find any obvious areas of concern. Dewey also said they did not find evidence of water damage or an active rodent infestation.
“We have been made aware of comments that have been posted about rodents in our building. Given our location, rural near woods and fields, from time to time we may have a rodent get in our building. The district contracts with a pest management company and they are proactive,” Kramer said in a statement posted to Facebook March 2. “We do not have any record of a rodent in the building this school year.”
The BHSJ Community Health Agency gave the district a letter with an online survey to distribute to parents in the middle and high schools, requesting they complete it by March 3.
“The survey tool will gather basic information from parents or guardians and students about any new or worsening health issues since September 2023,” Dewey said. “The agency will be reviewing the surveys that were provided and determine next steps. This is an investigative process that will take time.”
