Sick students at Calgary school sent to hospital as tests rule out gas leak

CALGARY – Emergency officials are investigating what caused several students to become ill at a Calgary school.

A fire department spokeswoman said the students were feeling sick to their stomachs and dizzy while in the music room at Woodlands Elementary School.

The building was evacuated amid fears of a carbon monoxide leak.

An EMS official said 14 of the students who didn’t feel well — boys and girls between eight and 10 — were taken to hospital in stable and non-life-threatening condition.

One other student went home with a parent.

The fire department’s hazardous materials team and Atco Gas workers conducted tests at the school, but found no gas leaks.

The Calgary Board of Education said in a statement Wednesday that the school’s water was also checked and found to be safe.

“CBE will continue to work with officials to investigate why some students became ill,” the board said.

Fire spokeswoman Carol Henke said crews were conducting more tests and were likely to examine musical instruments in the music room where the students were in class.

“We are trying to use all our equipment to figure out what might be the cause,” she said. “But it’s a bit of a mystery right now.”

The rest of the school’s students, about 260, were put on transit buses to keep warm during the evacuation. They returned to school later in the day.