A dog attack in a school playground has left 21 people injured in Springfield, Missouri.
On Tuesday, December 20, staff and students at Willard Intermediate South school were injured when two dogs identified as a pit bull mix breed made their way into the playground.
The incident occurred during afternoon recess shortly after 1 p.m. at the intermediate school which teaches students in grades 5 and 6.
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Heather Harman-Michael, director of communications and public relations for Willard School District, told Newsweek: “There was an incident during recess in which neighborhood dogs got onto the playground and injured several students and teachers. Parents of students who were affected were contacted and ambulances were on site to assess and treat any injuries.”
Of 21 individuals involved, 18 were students and three were teachers. Not all of those injured were hurt by the animals and some suffered injuries after becoming caught up in the mele that followed as people rushed to the school building to shelter from the attacking animals.
Three teachers and three students sustained injuries that required medical attention, after suffering bites and scratches. They were seen to by school nurses and first responders before being transported to local hospitals by ambulance.
More than 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs each year in the U.S. and more than 800,000 receive medical attention as a result, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
School employees, school police officers, first responders and Greene County Animal Services responded to the incident where the dogs were quickly captured.
“Animal control located the animals, and the owner gave up possession of them voluntarily,” said Harman-Michael.
Cara Erwin from Springfield-Greene County Health told Newsweek: “The dogs were euthanized in order to be tested for rabies. The tests will be completed today, and we expect to have results within the next couple of days. During the investigation, it was determined that one of the dogs was not vaccinated and no proof could be provided that the other was up to date on its vaccinations.”
Thankfully, none of those affected were seriously injured. Harman-Michael said: “Everyone who was taken for additional medical assessment was back home last night.”
Willard Intermediate South is open on Wednesday, but will have an indoor recess. Additional staff and counselors will also be on campus in the morning to provide any support and resources students and staff may need.
Harman-Michael said: “When any situation occurs, we come together to discuss what happened, what we could have done differently, and what we can do in the future to prevent similar occurrences from happening. Those are the conversations we will be having in the days and weeks ahead.
“We are encouraging our neighbors to be cognizant of keeping their animals contained near all of our campuses as we continue to encourage outdoor play. We want to thank the Intermediate South staff who responded quickly to the situation, and other district staff who were on site quickly to provide assistance.”
