Two pitbull mixes attacked a group of students and teachers Tuesday during school recess in Springfield, Missouri, local news outlets reported.
Eighteen students and three teachers at Willard Intermediate South sustained injuries in the incident, according to the Springfield News-Leader. Six of the victims — three students and three teachers — were bitten and scratched by the dogs, and received emergency care at local hospitals, the outlet reported. (RELATED: ‘Several Hours Of Surgery’: Man Reportedly Airlifted To Hospital After Pit Bull Pack Attack)
UPDATED: The dogs were pitbull mixes and have been euthanized. Results of rabies tests not yet known.
Total of 21 @willardschools students, teachers injured in dog attack during school recess – six required medical attention https://t.co/RxGCXAFzle via @springfieldNL
— Claudette Riley (@CRileyNL) December 21, 2022
The dogs ran to the playground at around 1 p.m., during the recess period for students in grades 5 and 6, the Springfield News-Leader reported.
Animal control said the two dogs were pitbull mixes owned by neighborhood residents, the outlet continued. The dogs were euthanized after the owners voluntarily surrendered them. Investigators said one dog was not vaccinated against rabies, and that the owner does not have proof of a rabies shot for the other dog, according to KY3.
“I think that it’s negligent that there’s not a fence around the playground, and I am absolutely grateful that my son was just chased by the dogs and wasn’t bitten,” parent Sarah Harris told KY3.
Heather Harman-Michael, director of communications and public relations for Willard Public School District, told the Springfield News-Leader the school will have indoor recess Wednesday, along with a designated area for students to process what happened.
Harman-Michael said many of the students sustained injuries due to the chaos that followed the dogs’ arrival on the playground, not from the dogs themselves, according to the Springfield News-Leader.