Parents pack North Star school board meeting, call for more info on students' mysterious sickness

Apr. 10—BOSWELL, Pa. — Parents and students packed the North Star Central Elementary School library Tuesday to address the North Star school board, after dozens of North Star High School students mysteriously fell ill Thursday.

"We still just have many questions that aren't being answered," parent Alison Maurer said.

Maurer and several other parents questioned the timeline of events, asked why the school was not evacuated after the initial seven students got sick and at least two passed out, and criticized the district's handling of the situation.

There were more than 50 people in attendance at Tuesday's school board meeting after extensive testing was done Thursday, Friday and over part of the weekend at the high school to find the root cause of the students' illnesses.

"The district is responding poorly," parent Jared Rigo said.

According to school officials, two seniors passed out and a third felt dizzy at around 8 a.m. Thursday. They were evaluated by emergency management officials who were at the school for a first-aid training session, then sent to UPMC Somerset for additional testing.

Shortly afterward, four more seniors reported similar symptoms of dizziness and faintness, were checked and also sent to the hospital.

There was concern about a possible building issue, and the Boswell Fire Department was called to test the library, where the training session was held, and nearby areas with their gas meters. Nothing was found.

Boswell and Stoystown fire departments did additional sweeps later that day. Somerset County Emergency Management Agency officials also checked the entire building, but no tests revealed any problems.

Later, when 20 North Star students from varying grades at the Somerset County Technology Center also reported symptoms and were bused to the hospital, administrators called state and federal officials to assist in the investigation.

That included the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which investigated the high school throughout Thursday evening, and all of Friday as students worked from home.

No elevated levels of any chemical or compound were located.

No faculty, staff members or emergency management officials reported any health issues Thursday or during the subsequent investigations.

Maurer said she has heard from several people that their children were treated for carbon monoxide poisoning, and she told the board that parents want to know what's going on.

She said she has heard that as many as 47 students were checked at UPMC Somerset, and possibly others at other medical facilities, who had elevated carbon monoxide levels in their systems, according to tests.

A district handout from Kristen Rodack, executive deputy secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, said carbon monoxide poisoning was an "unlikely explanation" for the students' sicknesses.

Rodack wrote that the carbon monoxide levels in the affected students' blood were low and within the normal range observed in the general population. She wrote that "normal" levels can differ based on smoking exposure, where they live, and other biological and genetic factors.

"This information combined with the lack of evidence of carbon monoxide being detected in the school buildings makes carbon monoxide poisoning an unlikely explanation for this event," Rodack wrote in the letter.

As tensions in the room rose at different points, several people spoke out of turn and shouted. Solicitor Michael Barbera and board President Marty Blough asked the crowd several times to calm down and speak one at a time.

Rigo said that many parents feel unheard and that it appeared to him the district is avoiding responsibility instead of quelling concerns.

One person said they just want accountability from the district, and several others stated that they believe the district is being dishonest about what happened.

"Believe me, we're concerned about the kids, too," Blough said.

One of the main sticking points for the crowd was that the school wasn't evacuated when the first seven students fell ill.

Superintendent Louis Lepley repeatedly told the audience that several emergency management officials at the scene advised administrators that an evacuation was not necessary because their tests all came back negative. North Star High School Principal Thaddeus Kiesnowski said he received the same information.

"This doesn't make any sense to me," one father said.

State Department of Health epidemiology and toxicology staff are working with county emergency management officials and local health care providers to identify the cause of the mysterious illnesses.