After a bus transporting Westland Middle School students malfunctioned and caused antifreeze to leak into the passenger cabin Friday morning, parents in the school community created an online petition demanding Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) address concerns around fleet maintenance, inspections and communication with parents.
As of the time of publication, the petition had 175 signatures.
The petition alleges that the students riding Bus 1113 to Westland Middle School in Bethesda “were subjected to a terrifying, traumatizing and nearly disastrous safety situation” when the engine in the rear of the bus malfunctioned and caused “eight gallons of highly pressurized antifreeze to be poured and aerosolized around the entire cabin, saturating everyone’s clothing, backpacks, and contacting skin and eyes.”
According to MCPS spokesperson Chris Cram, Westland Middle School Assistant Principal Karen Bryant sent a letter to parents of students who ride MCPS Bus 1113 about the incident on Friday morning.
The letter states that while “en route to school, antifreeze began leaking onto the floor of the bus” and the driver pulled over and contacted the county fire department and MCPS transportation department.
Bryant – who is one of two assistant principals at the school – wrote that the other assistant principal, emergency medical technicians [EMTs] and Westland school security arrived at the site where the bus stopped. The location was not included in the letter.
Bryant added that the students on the bus were assessed by the EMTs and were cleared to head to school on a replacement bus the district provided.
“Clothing can be washed and hard surfaces wiped off. This exposure did not concern the EMTs, as the substance is not toxic unless ingested,” Bryant wrote.
At the scene, students’ clothing and shoes were rinsed off, according to Bryant. In the letter, she also advised parents that the school administration may call home for replacement clothing and shoes.
After the incident, the petition alleges that children arrived at school “tardy, soaking wet, with their possessions in biohazard bags.” The petition also said that “firefighters” at the scene said students “were very lucky that the engine had not been running for longer because superheated antifreeze would have resulted in thermal burns and a mass casualty incident.”
The Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service did not immediately respond Tuesday morning to MoCo360’s inquiries about the incident.
The petition also alleged the bus returned to service and broke down again on Monday, highlighting “systemic failures in maintaining the safety and reliability of our school buses.”
Cram, who inquired about the bus with the district’s transportation department, said the bus that malfunctioned Friday was not on the road and “remained in the [bus] depot awaiting repairs.”
The district’s transportation department is investigating the incident “to understand what happened in order to prevent future occurrences,” Bryant wrote in her letter. She added that parents who have any concerns can reach out to her or their child’s school counselor.
According to Chem Group, antifreeze is a fluid made primarily from ethylene glycol or propylene glycol that controls the temperature in a vehicle’s engine. The National Capital Poison Center says that it is dangerous to swallow antifreeze, even in small amounts, and if ingested it can impact one’s blood chemistry, nervous system and kidneys.