An all-clear was given at Kahaluu Elementary School on Thursday afternoon after students were evacuated and treated at nearby hospitals following reports of a noxious odor earlier in the day.
Honolulu Fire Department spokes man David Jenkins said investigators were not able to identify or find the source of the chemical odor. Air tests were performed around the campus before an all-clear was given at 1:35 p.m.
The Windward school was closed at noon after about 31 students and staff reported feeling symptoms of nausea. A total of 25 students and one adult were transported by city Emergency Medical Services on city buses to Castle Medical Center and Kaiser Permanente.
Paramedics treated patients for burning eyes, shortness of breath, dizziness, sore throat and coughing, said EMS spokes woman Shayne Enright.
A school official told paramedics that students started complaining of symptoms at about 9:30 a.m. One employee described a strong smell similar to a cough suppressant.
Jenkins said the Fire Department received reports of someone spraying chemicals in the area but not on the school campus. In general, a common cause of noxious odors is the misapplication of herbicides or pesticides, he said.
The Department of Education said school officials notified the Fire Department about the odor at 11:15 a.m. The rest of the school’s students were transported by bus to Kaneohe District Park and Kahaluu Regional Park for parent pickup.
Principal Naomi Matsuzaki said the evacuation went smoothly and that Kaha luu would reopen Friday.
"We are very grateful that we do have evacuation drills that we practice periodically, and a messaging system so we could contact parents right away," Matsuzaki said. "I thought it was a real community effort to take care of the children, with the bus company and the Fire Department and HAZMAT and city parks opening their doors."
Some parents, however, said they experienced communication glitches.
Sandee Niblock, whose two children attend Kahaluu, said she found out about the evacuation on her way home from work, when she saw firetrucks at the school. When she asked for information on her daughter Kellee’s whereabouts, Niblock said, people at the school initially fumbled the matter.
"At first they said (Kellee) was at District Park. Then they said she was at Castle (Medical Center). Then I got a call from my husband that she was at Kaiser. When I got to the hospital, a handful of mothers there said they got sent to the wrong hospital, too."
The sixth-grader was treated for eye irritation and respiratory problems. Late Thursday afternoon, a few hours after her release, Niblock said her daughter’s eyes were still red. The fumes didn’t affect Niblock’s son, a third-grader.
"It was quite a scare," she said, adding that miscommunications were understandable given the size of the school. About 290 students are enrolled at the campus.
