Jacksonville teen hospitalized for allergic reaction after chemical sprayed at her school

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A father is pushing for change at a local high school after his daughter was sent to the hospital.

He said she had an allergic reaction to chemicals sprayed at Mandarin High School and had to be rushed to the hospital.

“My daughter’s life was put at risk yesterday,” Mike Silvestre said.

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Silvestre said doctors told him his daughter had an allergic reaction to something she was exposed to a school.

He said a teacher told him it was triggered by pesticide sprayed at the school.

Silvestre said this is not the first time this has happened. The first incident was in January and he says the principal said it wouldn’t happen again.

“Again said, 'I’m sorry, this happened again, it’s not our responsibility.' She said she was in her office, she didn’t smell it. She didn’t know they were coming,” Silvestre said.

He said the district should avoid spraying when students are on campus.

“I understand that they have to spray pesticides, we got to do these things, that’s great. But does a kid have to get hurt or die before we stop somebody at the front desk before they start spraying chemicals?” Silvestre said.

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We reached out to the Duval County Public Schools with his concerns. They issued this statement:

"On Thursday at Mandarin High School, herbicides were applied externally outside of the school and away from students during the school day. Earlier this year, Duval County Public Schools switched to an alternative approved herbicide in an effort to address previous parental concerns at the school. As an additional precautionary measure, external applications during school hours will be discontinued at the school."

Cox Media Group