MILTON, GA. - Fulton County School officials are taking extra steps to keep students safe from snakes after an elementary school student was bitten on a playground.
The incident happened May 13 at Crabapple Crossing Elementary in Milton.
According to officials, the child does not recall seeing the snake and only recalls being bitten. Because of this, the type of snake is unknown.
As of Tuesday morning, the child's condition was unknown.
The district's maintenance department is now looking at all outdoor play areas to see what can be done to keep snakes out.
In response to the bite, both the school's principal and assistant principal sent emails reassuring parents their children will be safe. In the messages, school officials said their "maintenance team" "should be on our campus again" "to spread snake repellent".
The principal added, "We have less than two weeks left in the school year and two of those days are Field Days outdoors. We do not plan to make any changes at this time due to today's incident."
(Read those letters in full at the bottom of the story)
Brad Lock, who curates Zoo Atlanta's amphibian exhibit, said he wasn't entirely unexpected to hear of the snake at the playground.
"Here in Atlanta, we have a lot of trees and a lot of green space," Lock said. "So the fact that there was a lot of kids playing, and the snake stayed in that area, that's a little bit unusual but not that much."
Lock said snakes in the wild in Georgia don't pose a deep threat.
"Of the more than 25 species of snakes in Georgia, there are only six that are venomous," Lock said "The ones that are the most dangerous are the ones where people are trying to kill them, or they don't want to use it to protect themselves -- that's secondary."
Lock says you should handle a snake sighting the same way you'd handle most other animals you might prefer to see at a zoo.
"Walk away from them," Lock said. They have no interest in, like, Snakes on a Plane … they have no interest, so just walk away."
If you or your child does get bitten by a snake, Lock says you should seek medical attention to make sure it's not venomous and get the bite wound treated so it doesn't get infected.
WEB EXTRA |
Letters sent to parents:
Parents,This morning a student was bitten by a snake on our playground. The student has been taken to the hospital for evaluation and possible treatment, and we have contacted the Fulton County Schools Maintenance Department to review our outdoor play areas and make any necessary safety adjustments, including the placement of snake repellent.
At this time, we believe this to be an isolated incident but will continue to monitor the area. All scheduled outdoor time has been canceled for the remainder of the school day.
We will share more information with you as it becomes available.
Ayo Richardson
Assistant Principal
Crabapple Crossing Elementary----
Dear Parents:
As you are aware, a second grade student was bitten by a snake during recess today. The student was taken to the clinic and treated until EMS arrived and the parents were notified.
Our FCS Maintenance team was at the school recently to spread snake repellent. An exterminator should be on our campus again, if not today, over the weekend.
I ask that you, along with our teachers, remind students not to play in wooded areas. We will remind our teachers to be actively vigilant in their supervision.
We have less than two weeks left in the school year and two of those days are Field Days outdoors. We do not plan to make any changes at this time due to today's incident.
I want to thank our staff for their professionalism in handling this incident. I also want to thank Mr. Locke, the AP from NWMS, who came on site upon my immediate call to him. Both Mrs. Richardson and I were off campus. Once again, this is proof of our strong school collaboration. We are a team in Milton and your children's safety is always at the forefront of our decisions.
Best,
Rachel A. Williams, Ed.D.
CCES Principal