Gwinnett County school officials said that the death of a Dacula High School student on campus was an isolated incident and no cause for fear by parents and other students.
The male student died after suffering a "medical emergency" Tuesday at school.
School system spokeswoman Sloan Roach said the medical emergency was isolated to one student and not a public health issue.
"According to the principal, this was unexpected," Roach said. “This was a situation that only involved this one student.”
The 11th-grade student, whose name was not released, died after being transported to the hospital, Principal Donald Nutt wrote in a letter posted on the school's website.
"A number of students were in the gym when this situation occurred, others may have seen the ambulance on campus, and others may have heard about the situation throughout the day as word spread about this student's death," Nutt wrote.
The incident happened just as third-period classes were beginning, Nutt said in the letter. The boy's teacher immediately contacted the school nurse, and a call was placed to 911, according to Roach.
Paramedics treated the teen at the school before transporting him by ambulance to the hospital, Roach said. An assistant principal at the school rode in the ambulance with the teen, Roach said.
Later, school officials learned the student had died, and administrators informed teachers and classmates, Roach said. The boy's death was announced over the school's intercom, and Nutt wrote a letter for parents.
"A loss like this touches not just our students but others throughout the school and community," Nutt wrote.
Grief counselors are available to help students and staff members, school officials said.
A spokeswoman for the county medical examiner's office declined to release the teen's name.
About the Author
