Parents question JCPS after 22 PRP High School students seen by doctors
By Alexis Mathews
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LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (WLKY) — Parents are voicing frustration over shifting explanations from Jefferson County Public Schools after 22 students at PRP High School fell ill Monday and were treated by doctors.
“I was just thinking, how can we get our voices out there as parents to say this isn’t okay? So I took it to social media,” Cici Spanyer said.
Social media was in a frenzy as the situation unfolded, leaving parents with more questions than answers.
Initially, the district raised concerns about a possible gas leak, then considered THC-infused candy wrappers found in a nearby trash bin.
On Tuesday, JCPS sent an updated letter to families ruling out those factors and identifying a dried-out P-trap in the chemistry lab of the technical building as the most likely contributor.
Investigators noted an egg-like odor in the lab. The district explained that the U-shaped pipe under sinks and drains “was smoke-tested multiple times, and corrective measures were taken to restore the water seal and eliminate the sewer gas intrusion.”
However, further investigations, including air quality testing for carbon monoxide and chalky powder on the ground from a weekend color run, have not confirmed any of these factors as the definitive cause of the illnesses.
“It’s hard to know what to believe, honestly,” Spanyer said.
Other parents share her skepticism. One parent provided WLKY hospital discharge papers showing symptoms and a diagnosis of “accidental exposure to carbon monoxide.”
Brooklynn Keister, a PRP student, described her experience after being treated at the emergency room.
“I felt very nauseous. My head was hurting. I was very, very dizzy,” Keister said.
Keister was sent home with nausea medication and is under 48-hour home observation. Her mother, Erica, expressed anger over the district’s initial suggestion that THC might have been involved.
“The THC thing is really making me mad because you all basically made these students out to be drug addicts, and it wasn’t that at all,” Erica said.
As of Tuesday, JCPS closed the technical building for the day. Parents also told us the school is excusing the students who are absent from school.
The district says it will keep evaluating and monitoring to fully understand the circumstances of the situation.
MSD also said on Tuesday that they investigated the area and found no abnormalities in the sewer system.
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