A fun school field trip turned into a scary scene after more than 30 elementary students became sick after eating snacks at a South Carolina movie theater.
The students from Eugene Sires Elementary School were on a field trip Monday, May 18, at the Cinemark on Ladson Road in Summerville when several children suddenly began vomiting shortly after eating food at the theater, according to local reports.
The number of sick students has been reported between 32 and 36. Around 180 students were reportedly on the trip in total.
Parents and chaperones said the children became ill soon after eating snacks during the outing. A teacher chaperone immediately notified school administrators, and district nursing staff quickly responded.
After the students returned to campus, the sick children were treated by EMS and the school nurse, according to reports.
The school district later sent a message to parents addressing the alarming incident.
“Student safety and care remain among our highest priorities,” the district said, according to WCIV. “We appreciate the quick response of our staff and healthcare personnel as we continue to monitor the situation and support our students and families.”
For parents, the call was terrifying.
Ashley Williams, whose daughter was one of the children who became ill, said she was frightened when she learned what had happened.
“It was pretty scary because I got a call from a number that wasn’t the school number,” Williams told WCSC. “And they just said that my daughter got ill during the field trip, that I need to come get her, and that poison control and EMS had been called because several other students had gotten ill.”
Her daughter has since recovered, according to the outlet.
The South Carolina Department of Public Health has been notified and confirmed that an investigation into the illnesses has been launched.
So far, officials have not said what caused the students to get sick.
Cinemark’s most recent inspection report, from February 2025, gave the location an A rating, according to WCSC. The outlet also reported that previous inspection reports were also As.
Dorchester School District Two’s director of nursing and health services, Amanda Sims, said the situation was far from routine.
“This is definitely an unusual situation,” Sims told WCSC. “That’s why we wanted to step in and take action quickly since this is certainly not your average day in the school nursing world.”
Sims stressed that the district is not speculating on what caused the illness and is leaving that determination to the proper agencies.
“We don’t speculate the cause of this incident but we leave that to the agencies who are responsible for those types of things,” she said. “We’re not leading the investigation.”
She added that the district is deferring to the agencies that oversee businesses and food vendors to determine what happened.
Parents have been advised to seek additional medical care for their children if needed.
Dorchester School District Two, Cinemark, Eugene Sires Elementary School and the South Carolina Department of Agriculture did not immediately respond to request for comment.
Discover more from True News Media
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.