Students fall ill at Delphos St. John’s

VW independent staff

DELPHOS — Delphos Fire & EMS was summoned to Delphos St. John’s Church Friday morning, after receiving reports of students not feeling well.

Late Friday morning, a letter was sent to parents and families by J.J. McClain, Director of Institutional Advancement.

“Thank you for your patience as we navigate these extreme temperatures, the letter said. “Please know we are doing everything possible to ensure the safety of our students.”

“The EMS was at the church today, following our first All School Mass of the 2023-24 school year, as a number of students were not feeling well. The Delphos Fire Chief has cleared both the school and the church of CO concerns and we will continue to monitor the situation. As of now, we will be remaining in school for the remainder of the day.”

“At this time, if your child was one that was in an ambulance or seen by the EMS, you should have received a call from your child’s school office.”

During an update via an emailed mid-afternoon statement, McClain said between staff, students and parishioners, there were approximately 600 people in attendance at the 8 a.m. Mass, and air conditioning was on and fully functioning. Near the end of Mass, officials became aware of approximately nine students not feeling well. The squads were called and four students were checked out by the EMS. Two of them were transported to the hospital, but they were released later and are said to be doing well.

“Based on this number, the Delphos Fire Chief did initially declare it a ‘mass casualty’ in order to put the proper protocol in place to address potential causes and take the most effective action for all involved,” he said in the statement. “This protocol was followed and everyone was doing everything possible to protect the students and offer assistance.”

The fire department tested both the church and school for carbon monoxide, methane and other potential gases. Tests were conducted later in the morning and the results for both areas came back negative.

McClain added that the water is being tested to eliminate any potential issues.

As an extra precaution, school officials opened up air-conditioned spaces throughout the building for classes to be held, meals to be eaten, and students to use as needed, and the PTO provided Popsicles.

McClain said he plans to share any updated information.