KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WOKI / WVLT) — Parents of Carter Middle School students are disputing Knox County Schools’ description of a Friday bomb threat evacuation that resulted in 21 students being hospitalized for heat-related illnesses, including three who were transported in critical condition.
The incident began shortly after 11 a.m. Friday when a student reported finding a written bomb threat at Carter Middle School. School officials evacuated students to the adjacent Carter High School football field while authorities investigated and cleared the building.
As students remained outside, many began showing symptoms of heat exhaustion. National Weather Service data showed temperatures reached 96 degrees Friday, with the heat index climbing to 107 degrees.
School Officials Defend Response
Rural Metro Fire and Knox County Schools officials said emergency protocols were followed throughout the incident.
Rural Metro Fire spokesperson Jeff Bagwell said the school reacted appropriately to the bomb threat and that first responders provided assistance to students experiencing heat-related issues.
“The system has worked flawlessly,” Bagwell said after the incident. “The students are safe and at no time were they in any harm or jeopardy.”
Knox County Schools Superintendent Jon Rysewyk said students had access to water and shade during the evacuation and estimated they were outside for about an hour. He also said the district would review the response to identify any lessons learned.
In a subsequent statement, Bagwell said emergency crews were dispatched at approximately 11:20 a.m. after students began exhibiting signs of heat exhaustion.
According to Rural Metro Fire, 21 students were treated and transported to East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, with three classified as critical at the time of transport. Multiple agencies responded to assist, including AMR ambulance services and regional EMS partners.
Officials said Knoxville Fire Department personnel and K-TRANS buses were brought in to provide air-conditioned shelter if needed, but students were allowed back inside the building before those resources became necessary.
Parents Describe Different Scene
Several parents and a local nurse who was present at the school say the situation was far more serious than officials have portrayed.
Katie Schaefer, a Knoxville nurse and parent of two Carter Middle students, said she arrived at the school and immediately began helping students who were collapsing while walking back across the street to the school building.
“When I pulled in, these students started dropping,” Schaefer said. “I told the officer, ‘I’m a nurse. Can I please come help?’ because there was no medical personnel up there.”
Schaefer said she treated a student whose heart rate exceeded 240 beats per minute and used water to cool multiple children suffering from severe heat exhaustion.
She recalled one student asking her, “Am I going to die?”
Questions About Time Outside
Parents are also disputing the district’s estimate that students were outside for about an hour.
Kari Shortt, whose daughter attends Carter Middle School, said school alerts and text messages suggest students were outside much longer.
“From the time I got the first message to the time the kids went back inside, it was two hours,” Shortt said.
She questioned why students were not moved into Carter High School, which she said was not under lockdown at the time.
Parents also challenged the district’s assertion that students had adequate access to shade and water.
“They said they offered shade,” Shortt said. “My child said they did not have shade. They did not offer shade unless you were sick.”
Schaefer claimed some students received only small cups of water and that her daughter used her own water bottle to help cool classmates who were becoming ill.
Communication Complaints
Parents additionally criticized the school’s communication during and after the emergency.
Shortt said she first learned students had been hospitalized through social media reports rather than official notifications from the school system.
Schaefer alleged that school personnel appeared uncertain about which students had been transported to hospitals, creating confusion for parents attempting to locate their children.
“There were parents coming in to sign their kids out and the kids weren’t there because they were at the hospital,” Schaefer said.
Investigation Continues
Superintendent Rysewyk said Carter Middle School Principal J.D. Overton would be contacting families following the incident.
Meanwhile, the Knox County Sheriff’s Office continues investigating the written bomb threat that triggered the evacuation. No charges had been announced as of the latest update.
The school district has indicated it will review the response and circumstances surrounding the evacuation as questions continue from parents and community members.
