Herbicide to blame for causing illness at Coachella Valley High School

28 students and staff at Coachella Valley High School were evaluated by emergency crews Thursday after reports that they were not feeling well due to a chemical smell near the campus.

According to Coachella Valley Unified Superintendent Darryl Adams, the incident began early in the morning when crews were spraying an organic herbicide on agricultural fields near the school.

“My conversations with the men who were working at the time of the incident, they have agreed and assured us they will not be applying this material, which is non-toxic, ever again during school hours,” says Adams.

“And we truly appreciate that. So basically working in concert with our business community, we want to ensure that it doesn’t happen again.”

Cal Fire said the school was not evacuated, since the source of the smell was off campus.

The symptoms ranged from stomach aches, nausea, headaches, and soreness in the throat, officials told News Channel 3 and CBS Local 2.