WESTON, Fla. – The principal of Cypress Bay High School in Weston plans to welcome students back to class on Monday morning after carbon monoxide poisoning prompted school staff to seek medical attention on Friday. A Broward firefighter who responded was also affected.
Keyla Concepción, a Broward County Public Schools spokeswoman, released a statement by Kassandra Fried, the high school’s principal, addressed to “Cypress Bay Families” on Sunday afternoon reporting “the carbon monoxide concern” was in the cafeteria kitchen of the school’s Building 1.
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“We have been working closely with local authorities and district staff over the weekend,” Fried wrote. “Out of an abundance of caution, we will continue to monitor the cafeteria and conduct additional testing on Monday morning before students and staff arrive.”
Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Michael Kane said carbon monoxide is odorless and tasteless, so it wasn’t until people started to feel ill that they realized there was too much carbon monoxide in the air. Fire rescue personnel took them to Cleveland Clinic Florida Express Care in Weston.
Kane described their symptoms as very minor. The list of carbon monoxide poisoning symptoms included headache, weakness, dizziness, nausea, shortness of breath, blurred vision, drowsiness, and confusion. According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms related to the nervous system and brain can “come on” after recovery and exposure can cause brain damage or death.
“The firefighter that was affected in transported to hospital was discharged the same afternoon,” Kane wrote in an e-mail.
Fried told Local 10 News Friday the school was evacuated at noon. Broward County Public Schools Superintendent Howard Hepburn said the evacuation was “out of an abundance of caution.”
“School operations will resume as usual on Monday,” Fried wrote in her statement. “We extend our heartfelt thanks to our dedicated BCPS staff and first responders for their swift actions and efforts to ensure everyone’s safety.”
Local 10 News Assignment Desk Editors Joyce Grace Ortega and Stephany Heilbron contributed to this report.
Friday’s reports