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18 Missouri schoolchildren, 3 teachers injured after attack by 2 pit bull mix dogs during break

'I think that it’s negligent that there’s not a fence around the playground,' a parent said expressing concern

SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI: Two pit bull mixed-breed dogs reportedly created a dangerous chaos after entering a school’s playground during recess. The Tuesday, December 20, incident at Willard Intermediate South left 21 injured, which included 18 students and three teachers.

It has been said that the students were of fifth and sixth grades and were playing in an open area, without any boundary, when the dogs pounced on them. Reports also said that a total of six people, three students and three teachers, got severely injured by the dogs while others suffered non-severe bruises because of the rumpus.

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The victims were given first aid by the school nurses before medical help arrived. According to KIRO 7, Jared Garza, a fifth-grader, said, “I heard someone scream as they fell to the ground, and their jacket was thrown off by a dog. Another one of my friends came up and kicked the dogs away, and then other people started getting attacked too.”

“They [Students and teachers] were all out to recess when the dogs came on campus, or onto the playground area. There were a lot of students who saw it. We had district administration and we had nurses and counselors from other buildings come to Intermediate South to be of assistance,” the Willard School District's director of communications and public relations, Heather Harman-Michael, told the Springfield News-Leader.

Harman-Michael also stated that the dogs belonged to a nearby house. However, after the violent episode, their owners reportedly handed them over to the authorities, who then conducted rabies tests on the animals. Eventually, the dogs were euthanized. Meanwhile, a parent named Sarah Harris condemned the school’s decision to not have the fence. She shared with 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.”

The incident has attracted a few comments online as well as a user tweeted, “Well, that will haunt those children for a lifetime.” Another user shared, “Be a Responsible Pet Owner.” The third user tweeted, “WHY WOULD A SCHOOL IN THE USA NOT HAVE A FENCED PLAYGROUND? THE DOGS WEREN'T RESPONSIBLE FOR PUTTING STUDENTS & TEACHERS AT  RISK THE SCHOOL BOARD & PARENTS ARE.”

The horrific incident came months after a four-year-old Texas girl lost her life in a dog attack. Lea Freeman was reportedly killed by a dog in July while no adult was present at home. Following the unfortunate case, Lea’s mother Tiara Freeman reportedly said, “She's just a playful little girl. She's just my little angel.” Also, recalling the moment before the incident, Tiara added, “When I went to get my wallet, my baby was just fine, she was sweet, she saw me leave, she asked where I was going, I said 'I'm going to the store real quick, I'll be right back, I'll back.' I come home, and this happens.”

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.