Mayor suspends classes after students hospitalized from heat exhaustion in Cabuyao

LUCENA CITY — The mayor of Cabuyao City in Laguna province suspended classes on Friday, March 24, at Gulod National High School (GNHS)-Mamatid Extension after 83 students were hospitalized during the earthquake and fire drills the day before.

Mayor Dennis Hain announced in a video message posted on social media on Friday that classes would resume Monday, March 27, while they investigate the reason for the student’s illness.

Hain said he had been receiving information about more students who still felt dizzy and were returned to the hospital for further treatment.

In a statement on Friday, the City Schools Division of Cabuyao said 2,121 Grades 8, 9, 11, and 12 students from GNHS in Barangay Mamatid conducted an unannounced earthquake and fire drill on Thursday at 3:20 p.m. at the campus grounds.

After the drill, some students complained “that the heat was too much for them to bear.”

“Some learners showed signs of difficulty in breathing,” the statement said. Other students also showed similar symptoms from heat exhaustion.

The city school officials reported that ambulances took 83 students (not 120 as earlier reported by the Cabuyao police) to two local hospitals. Two students were still confined for further treatment as of Friday afternoon.

The teachers were instructed to continuously monitor the conditions of students discharged from the hospitals.

A team from the city disaster management office will also conduct psychological first-aid sessions for GNHS students and teachers.

The police report cited the doctors’ findings that the students suffered tiredness aggravated by the hot weather.

Medical authorities advised school officials to ensure the students are well-hydrated during similar activities.

The Department of Health has warned the public against heat-induced sickness from heat stroke and dehydration after the state weather bureau declared the start of the summer season on March 21.

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