Chappell acknowledges "situation" at high school
By Matt Pelkey
Responding to an online rumor that three girls at Rappahannock High School had overdosed on prescription pain medication, school superintendent Dr. Robert Chappell acknowledged in a written statement on Wednesday that a "situation" had occurred, but he provided few details as to what had happened.
"Because of laws protecting the privacy of students, I cannot provide certain specifics about what happened," he wrote in the statement.
Chappell wrote that on Tuesday morning school administrators determined that several students at Rappahannock County High School required "immediate medical attention." He did not say how many students needed attention, nor why the students needed attention.
He said that the school administrators called emergency services and the students' parents. The students were transported, treated and released, Chappell said in the statement. He said that other students at the school were briefly held in their classes.
In his statement Chappell warned that "information that is passed via email, social networking websites, message boards and by word-of-mouth may not be accurate."
On Tuesday evening, an e-mail was sent to Rappnet, a local e-mail discussion forum, from someone claiming to have heard that three girls had overdosed on the pain medication Percocet at Rappahannock High School.
E-mail the reporter at mpelkey@timespapers.com.