Fire alarm forces underdressed high schoolers into frigid weather

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Eagle River High School students stood out in a frigid minus-11 degrees Monday morning for a quarter of an hour after a chemistry lab experiment set off the building's fire alarm and they evacuated without coats, hats or gloves. Some wore only their gym clothes.

The school nurse later examined nine students who complained of the cold. One girl suffered mild frostbite, spokeswoman Heidi Embley said.

Some parents say the school should have been more responsible, with a plan to keep the kids out of the cold.

School officials say students should not wear summer clothes in the Alaska winter.

Anchorage schools do not have a plan if students are evacuated during severe weather, Embley said. But on a case-by-case basis, warm buses may be brought in or alternative nearby shelter may be sought, she said.

In the case of what happened on Monday, the principal knew about what had occurred in the chemistry lab, thought the fire department would soon pronounce it a false alarm and did not seek alternatives, Embley said. Some students piled into staff and student vehicles to warm up.

The National Weather Service said temperatures around Eagle River at the time varied between minus 11 and minus 27.

Eagle River High School has 865 students. The seven girls who sought the nurse's help for cold feet and legs were all wearing summer skirts and sandals, Embley said.

"We would encourage everyone to make sure their children have winter clothing in case of an emergency like this," Embley said.

It is not uncommon in Anchorage to see kids wearing shorts and T-shirts in the below-freezing temperatures.

Brenda Bogowith said her 18-year-old daughter, senior Hailey Kickbusch, was wearing a skirt without stockings and a blouse. The girl was dressed up for a student council meeting, her mother said. She agreed students should dress for the weather. "But last time I checked, school was held inside," she said.

In Fairbanks, where temperatures this week were as cold as minus 45, students carry their winter coats with them from classroom to classroom in case they have to go outside suddenly, said Fairbanks North Star Borough Schools assistant superintendent Roxa Hawkins. Most classrooms are also equipped with large parachute-sized wool blankets that the teacher will grab on the way out during an evacuation. The students huddle together under the blankets, she said.

E-mail Megan Holland at mholland(at)adn.com. For more stories visit scrippsnews.com