Students at Pleasure Ridge Park High School in Louisville, Kentucky, were rushed to hospitals Monday morning after several became ill inside the building, triggering an evacuation and an emergency response. Fire crews and EMS were called to the school at about 8:37 a.m. after a report that a student had fainted, and what began as a single medical call quickly grew into a broader emergency response.
According to wbay.com, 10 students in total were hospitalized after the incident, with symptoms including nausea, headache and fainting.
Pleasure Ridge Park Fire and EMS were dispatched to the 5900 block of Greenwood Road for what was logged as a medical run, per MetroSafe. Responders investigated the school after students were evacuated from the tech building.
No Hazard Found After Air Monitoring
No Hazard Found After Air Monitoring Crews investigated the building. Fire Chief Jason Meiman said in a statement issued Monday afternoon that responders detected no hazardous conditions in or around the building and had no indication of a gas leak or other environmental hazard within it.
Students who were not hospitalized were evacuated to the school's gym, where staff monitored them and kept them comfortable while the investigation continued. Six other students were evaluated by medical personnel on site but declined transport to the hospital, according to the seed reporting. The school notified the families of the students who were taken to hospitals.
THC Candy Wrappers Found in Trash
THC Candy Wrappers Found in Trash As the environmental investigation wound down, Jefferson County Public Schools said THC-infused candy wrappers were found in trash cans near the school. The district asked medical personnel whether the candy may have been a factor in the students' illnesses.
A school district spokesperson said the incident was isolated. Similar concerns have surfaced at schools elsewhere in recent years: a February 2024 report from wpde.com said two students who had been detained were released to their parents' custody, while 12 other students reportedly ate THC-infused candy and were hospitalized, while separate 2021 reports from wwmt.com and abc7amarillo.com described a Florida sheriff's office investigating a parent's claim that multiple students at a middle school had ingested THC-infused candy.
Parents Wait for Word Outside the School
Outside Pleasure Ridge Park High School, parent Rachael Ashley said she went to the school to try to pick up her daughter, a senior, but was told her daughter was not being allowed to leave. Ashley's account, relayed as the situation unfolded, reflects the confusion many families described while the school worked through the evacuation and hospital transports.
The incident was reported Monday. Multiple people reported symptoms after responders arrived, but with no hazardous conditions confirmed and the candy wrappers' role still unconfirmed, the exact cause of the students' illnesses remains unresolved.
