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Stockton School Evacuated After Students Complain Of Feeling Lightheaded, One Taken To Emergency Room

STOCKTON (CBS13) – A Stockton elementary school was evacuated Thursday morning after 12students and a teacher said they felt sick. Stockton Fire Department got the call around 10 a.m. and called in a Hazmat team to investigate.

"People said that they felt dizzy," said Travis Eden, a 4th grader.

And in a small elementary school like Taft Elementary, kids notice everything.

"I saw one person that was throwing up!" said Tabitha Eden, describing the scene in the principal's office.

According to Stockton Unified School District, a teacher and twelve students complained about feeling lightheaded Thursday morning. Students and staff were evacuated to the library while school officials called first responders.

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When the Stockton Fire Department arrived at the school, one captain requested a Hazmat team. Battalion Chief Matt Knierim says they examined several classrooms, the drainage system, the HVAC system and the surrounding areas.

"I was at work, I got a call, I thought it was something wrong with my kids again," said Shakiro Sewell.

She has four children at Taft and says each one of them has been sick this week at school.

"He threw up two days in a row!" she said, referring to her 10-year-old son.

Now, she's wondering if today's lightheadedness is connected.

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"If there is other kids that's throwing up and passing out, then something obviously is going on!" Sewell said.

In a statement, Stockton Unified said their classrooms were "cleared and reported as safe and healthy for students and employees."

One student was taken to the hospital as a precaution, while the others were picked up from school by their guardians. And even with the all clear, Sewell is still wondering if Taft is a safe place for her children.

"They need to get that corrected or fixed or something and figure out why all these kids are getting sick," she said.

The district says it's still waiting on additional results from the utilities district to see if they can determine what caused the lightheadedness.

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