Student bitten by snake at recess

NORTH FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — Fulton County school officials say they’ve brought in exterminators and are clearing away overgrown brush near an elementary school after a student was bitten by a snake Friday.

In an email to parents of students at Crabapple Crossing Elementary School in Milton, the principal said a second-grader was bitten during recess.

“FCS Maintenance team was at the school recently to spread snake repellent. An exterminator should be on our campus again, if not today, over the weekend,” the email from Principal Rachel Williams reads.  “We remind students not to play in wooded areas. We will remind our teachers to be actively vigilant in their supervision. We do not plan to make any changes at this time due to today's incident."

School officials told Channel 2's Mike Petchenik the student was discharged from the hospital and is doing fine.

Parent Kathryn Lind told Petchenik she was surprised, but not overly concerned by the news.

“I definitely think they should be cautious in sending the kids out there,” she said. “I wish there were more blacktop, as opposed to green grass where this kind of thing could happen.”

Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Emergency Room physician Dr. Scott Batchelor told Channel 2 Action News his ER sees a few snake bites every summer.

“Summer months, the snakes are out and more active. Kids are outside, they’re more active,” he said. “Most bites occur accidentally when the kid steps on the snake and don’t see it.”

Dr. Batchelor said Georgia is home to several venomous snakes, including copperheads and rattlesnakes, and parents need to seek medical attention for their kids if they suspect a snake bite.

“The effects are usually local tissue damage -- redness, swelling -- but not every bite injects venom,” he said.  “If there’s snake bite that injects venom, you get a quick reaction with a large area of redness and swelling.  Pain; it’s very painful, too.”

Cox Media Group