MNPS urges Drexel Prep students to be evaluated following carbon monoxide exposure

Metro Nashville Public Schools officials suspect students may have been exposed to carbon monoxide at Drexel Preparatory Academy Monday.

District officials are urging parents to take their children to the emergency room for evaluation, although there is no word yet on where the carbon monoxide came from or how many students may have been exposed and for how long.

“We got word late this afternoon that several Drexel Academy students may have had carbon monoxide exposure at their school,” said Olivia Brown, MNPS spokeswoman, in an email. “We're told it was initially thought to be the flu.”

Located in Whites Creek on Jackson Road, the charter school is home to about 225 students, according to state records. The school is run independently by its own board and management team, although its funding comes from within the MNPS public school network.

Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning can include a dull headache, weakness, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath, confusion, blurred vision and loss of consciousness, according to the Mayo Clinic.