During the Immaculate Conception Mass on Monday December 9, a number of students suddenly became ill, causing Mass to end abruptly. Students were asked to evacuate the Upper Gym and return to Advisory.

According to the timeline provided by the school in an email, the first student became ill at 11:16 a.m., and Mass continued for another 12 minutes when the administration made the call to evacuate the gym after several other students experienced symptoms.

Senior Jackson Harcarik said, “All I remember is just hearing a loud noise in the bleachers, and everyone looked back. No one really knew what was going on, and then they just tried to continue Mass. Everyone was panicked because no one knew what had happened.”

Patriots worried about their fellow students who had suddenly fallen ill, and then they were concerned about the need to evacuate the area.

Students remained in Advisory until Mass was scheduled to end, and an announcement was made to move to mod five.

First Responders arrived on campus at 11:45 a.m. At the same time, some students who were concerned about the safety of the building were contacting their parents, and some made the decision to leave school early before any official calls were made.

Sophomore Devin Jablon said, “I didn’t know what was happening. It was scary. I saw a bunch of ambulances.”

Shortly after 12:00 p.m., the fire alarm was pulled, and students were evacuated and dismissed for the day — many leaving behind laptops and car keys.

As students exited the building, there were fire trucks and ambulances filling the oval. Some students were being treated by medical professionals under the canopy. Students who had not already left the campus were ultimately sent to be picked up at Bynum Run Pond.

School Nurse Stacey Quigg treated students on the scene as their symptoms were arising. She said, “I checked vitals, gave them water and crackers, and tried to document everyone’s names.”

“A hazmat team entered the building with multiple meters and completed a school-wide check of gas/volatile organic compound levels. All reports were normal, and at approximately 1:00 p.m., we were given the all-clear to reenter the building,” said Chief Advancement Officer Kathy Walsh in a statement provided to The Patriot.

On social media, the Bel Air Police Department posted, “John Carroll High School has been evacuated while the fire department investigates unknown conditions in the building that may have caused students to become ill.”

The Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company later posted, “FD personnel thoroughly investigated the entirety of the school, including checking air quality using specialized metering devices. At no point did personnel detect or locate anything that could be attributed as a cause.”

According to Mrs. Walsh, “on Monday evening, the decision was made to close school on Tuesday in order to allow for a second check of the building. On Tuesday morning, six members of Harford County’s Department of Emergency Services’ Special Operations Team completed a second check of the entire building and indicated normal readings on all meters.”

The school was deemed safe for everyone to return to a normal schedule on Wednesday.

On Wednesday afternoon, another email was sent in response to rumors and forms that were being circulated throughout the community.

The email explained that there was no connection between the incident and the Festival of Lights that was hosted at JC the previous Saturday. The email also confirmed that the school would continue to look into any possible causes before the next school wide event.

In her statement Mrs. Walsh stated, “In all, 12 students were transported by ambulance to local area hospitals, and six additional students sought medical attention. One teacher was evaluated on site by emergency services. No students or teachers experienced a seizure.”

The Junior Retreat originally scheduled to leave after school that Monday has been rescheduled to a date in January after Winter Break.

Lucas Lakatta contributed to this article.