A substitute teacher at Hillcrest Elementary School in Dublin, Georgia began slumping over her desk in front of her fourth-grade class on Monday, October 12, and it was two students who recognized what was happening and sprang into action. Jeronica Hampton was having a seizure, and students Kambrea Walker and Malani Sherrod moved quickly, one steadying her in her seat while the other calmed the room and went for help.
Walker recognized that something was wrong because she had seen a similar episode before, through her grandmother's experience with seizures, according to ABC24. Sherrod, meanwhile, had learned seizure signs from her mother, a nurse, and also researched what to do online. As Hampton's seizure unfolded, one girl steadied her in her seat while the other moved classmates back and worked to keep the room calm, the outlet reported based on the students' own account. Sherrod told her classmates to sit down and be calm before leaving to find the school nurse.
District Honors the Trio's Quick Thinking
Dublin City Schools publicly commended three fourth graders — Walker, Sherrod, and a third student, Ava Brown — for keeping Hampton safe, calming their classmates, and alerting the school nurse, according to Dublin City Schools. Hillcrest Elementary enrolls roughly 546 Pre-K through fourth-grade students in Laurens County, per Niche.
Hampton later watched the incident unfold on school surveillance video alongside Walker and Sherrod, and she praised the two for responding the way they did. She said she could have hit her head and died without their intervention, the station reported. It was not the first time Hampton had experienced a seizure in a classroom — she had one in 2018, according to 13WMAZ. Hampton said some days are harder than others, and because of Georgia's driving restrictions tied to seizure disorders, she currently cannot drive.
What Georgia Law Requires of Schools and Drivers
Georgia's rules around seizure disorders touch both classrooms and roadways. Under A.J.'s Law, also known as Senate Bill 45 and signed by Governor Brian Kemp in 2023, public schools must implement individualized Seizure Action Plans for students with epilepsy and provide seizure first-aid training to designated staff and bus drivers, according to the Epilepsy Foundation. Separately, Georgia Code § 40-5-35 and Department of Driver Services regulations require anyone who experiences a seizure or loss of consciousness to remain seizure-free for at least six months before regaining driving privileges — the statutory basis for the restriction Hampton described.
Hampton said she hopes more students learn to recognize seizure signs. Nationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that about 2.9 million adults and 456,000 children aged 17 and under had active epilepsy as of 2022 — roughly 1% of the U.S. population — with associated medical care spending reaching $24.5 billion in 2019.
Recognizing a Seizure and Knowing What to Do
According to Mayo Clinic guidance cited in coverage of the incident, a seizure is a sudden burst of electrical activity in the brain that can change movement, behavior, awareness, or consciousness. It may look like convulsions, staring, confusion, sudden jerks, stiffness, collapse, or unusual sensations, and warning signs can include not responding, falling, repeated movements, fear, or dizziness. Most seizures last only 30 seconds to two minutes, though post-seizure recovery may take minutes or even hours, per Mayo Clinic, as reported by KVUE.
Bystanders are advised to stay with the person, note when the seizure started, and move any hazards out of the way — but should not restrain the person or put anything in their mouth. Once convulsions end, bystanders may turn the person onto their side to protect their airway. Mayo Clinic guidance also states that 911 should be called if a seizure lasts more than five minutes, if a second seizure follows immediately, or if the person has trouble breathing, is injured, or is pregnant, and recommends medical evaluation after any first-time seizure, as reported by KVUE.
