A brief spraying of Mace or something like it forced the evacuation of a class at South Davis Junior High on Monday afternoon.
Three 14- and 15-year-old boys were suspended and referred to juvenile court for their involvement in the incident, Principal Dale Rees said. He was unsure why the boys had sprayed the substance but said no fighting was involved.Thirteen of the 28 students in the class had coughing spells, nausea, headaches or irritated eyes due to the spraying.
Paramedics from the Davis County Sheriff's Office responded to the school and evaluated several students' condition but determined they didn't need medical treatment or hospitalization.
"We did respond," said Chief Deputy Kelly Sparks. "We checked out a couple of the kids but didn't treat them other than getting them out into the fresh air."
The incident occurred about an hour before school ended. The affected students' parents were notified and the students were sent home, Rees said.
The Macelike substance came from a small white container, much like the Mace containers carried by some people for protection from attackers. The boys apparently did not aim the spray at any one person, and the spraying itself was so brief that when Rees entered the classroom shortly after the occurrence he couldn't smell anything.
Each of the students involved will likely be suspended for three days or more, though their exact punishment has not yet been determined.
Deseret News staff writer Don Rosebrock contributed to this story.