KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WOKI / WVLT) – A local therapist is stepping forward to help Carter Middle School students process the emotional impact of last week’s bomb threat evacuation that sent 21 students to area hospitals with heat-related illnesses.
Bri Miranda, a therapist and former Carter Middle School student, is organizing a free support group for affected students and families following the September 4 incident. The gathering is scheduled for Thursday at 6 p.m. at Lyons Creek Baptist Church, located near the school.
The support effort comes after hundreds of Carter Middle students were evacuated from the building following a bomb threat and directed to outdoor areas during a heat advisory. Students reported spending an extended period on the football field and bleachers in high temperatures with limited access to shade and water.
Several students described witnessing classmates become sick during the evacuation.
“It was very scary,” student Braden Glover said. “As we were walking off the football field, there was a kid that just passed out right in front of me.”
Another student, Paisley Williams, said she saw several classmates suffering from the heat.
“I passed like three people that were on the ground because they had passed out and stuff,” Williams said.
According to Rural Metro, 21 students were transported to hospitals with heat-related symptoms, and three were reported to be in critical condition following the incident.
Miranda said the experience could leave a lasting emotional impact on students, particularly because it occurred in a place where they expect to feel safe.
“These kids are in a critical developmental period of their life,” Miranda said. “This is going to last with them forever. They’re never going to forget what they witnessed and what they had to go through and experience.”
She said events like the evacuation can create anxiety about returning to school, concerns about personal safety, and difficulty processing multiple stressful experiences at the same time.
Miranda believes many students may currently be experiencing heightened stress and hypervigilance.
“Always on edge. Just kind of expecting the worst immediately,” she said while describing reactions that can occur after a traumatic event.
Some students have already expressed concerns about returning to school.
“I don’t want to go to school,” Glover said. “It’s very, what’s going to happen and what’s going to change from what happened today.”
Miranda said providing students with a safe environment where they can openly discuss their thoughts and emotions is essential to recovery.
“I think that’s the biggest thing that they need. Just offering a space to talk about it. Not sweeping it under the rug because that’s not going to help anything,” she said.
The support group is open to Carter Middle students and is being offered at no charge in an effort to eliminate barriers to receiving help.
Miranda said her goal is to ensure students have an opportunity to process the events of last week and receive support from mental health professionals and peers who understand what they experienced.
Families interested in participating can register through an online sign-up form provided by the organizers at https://forms.gle/bBcgabDbXQguRaky6.
