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CNN Live Today

Six Students Die at School District in State of Pennsylvania

Aired May 20, 2002 - 13:18   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: There is a school district in the state of Pennsylvania looking for any common thread it might find that may explain why six students have died since the month of December, four at one high school alone.

Jeanne Meserve is there. She reports now, so far, it looks like a bizarre coincidence.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is a time of sorrow and of worry at the East Penns (ph) burrough school district. At the high school, a memorial has been set up to the six students who have died, three of them in the past month. Of those, one died of a heart condition, one of a brain aneurysm and one of unknown causes.

At the high school last night, a local Baptist church had a meeting to help students and teachers cope. We asked the students if they were nervous about going to school.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, because they're not related. The school test have shown, the coroners have told us, everything else -- nothing points to it being related to one cause. So I'm not that nervous.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The day that the kids died, it felt like a library in here. Nobody was talking the halls, but it's getting back to normal, but it's still on our minds, and it's still hard to cope.

MESERVE: Now that is not the universal opinion. I spoke to a father last night, whose daughter, a high school student, has had an array of symptoms from chest pains to headaches. He is keeping her out of school on doctor's orders. There were renovations at the high school this year. They turned up problems with asbestos and with mold. Those problems were cleaned up, and school officials say recent testing have shown no contaminant. More testing is planned, as is a study of the medical records to find out if there is some common thread here, or whether this is pure coincidence.

In the meantime, a sign has gone up in front of the high school. It read "God bless our kids," as people here try to find some reassurance at this very bewildering time.

Jeanne Meserve, CNN, Enola, Pennsylvania.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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