NANKIN — Ashland County officials as well as Mapleton school administrators announced Monday afternoon that the district’s buildings have been cleared to resume classes on Tuesday.
On Friday, a total of 43 confirmed students were transported to seven regional hospitals in five counties after cases of headache, nausea and dizziness were reported.
Since then a multitude of agencies have descended on the district for testing to try to determine the cause of the ailment. However, after testing water and gas among other suspected causes, the reason for the episode has yet to be discovered as the investigation continues.
Public letters from Ashland County Sheriff Kurt Schneider and Mapleton supt. Scott Smith were posted on the Mapleton Schools Facebook page at approximately 4 p.m. on Labor Day explaining the precautions, procedures and testing that has taken place over the three-day weekend.
Each letter is pasted below:
Mapleton Superintendent
Mapleton Families,
This message provides an update regarding the status of the Mapleton campus following the evacuation of Mapleton Middle School and Mapleton High School on Friday, Aug. 29, 2025 as a result of student illnesses.
Following a thorough investigation by the Ashland County Sheriff’s Office along with representatives from the Nankin/Orange Township Fire District, Savannah Fire District, Columbia Gas, CCG Automation, and Mapleton maintenance and administration, the Mapleton Local School District campus has been cleared for normal operations.
With this confirmation, classes will resume for all Mapleton students tomorrow, Tuesday, Sept. 2.
We understand that recent events may have caused concern for students, parents, and staff. Please know that the safety and well-being of our Mapleton community remains our highest priority.
Scott Smith
Superintendent
Mapleton Local School District
Sept. 1, 2025
Ashland County Sheriff
Mapleton School Incident – Friday, August 29, 2025
Good afternoon. Over the past several days, a thorough investigation into the events at the Mapleton School District has been ongoing.
This investigation has been a collaborative effort with the Mapleton School District and several public safety agencies in five counties. Numerous agencies have been actively tracking down information which has been compiled.
Currently we are sifting through all the data for any information which may explain the concerning events of Friday, Aug. 29, 2025.
Today, the Mapleton School District Community should be confident there is no inherent risk to the safety of the students and staff while occupying the Mapleton School Building.
A total of 43 confirmed students were transported to seven regional hospitals in five counties.
As of today, I am not aware of any life-threatening conditions or illnesses. I urge any family members of these students, or members of the community who have information pertaining to the incident, to contact the Ashland County Sheriff’s Office at 419-289-3911.
The Ashland County Health Department epidemiologist may be contacting parents for more medical information as they seek to rule out possible causes for the symptoms.
The collective fact gathering investigation included cooperation from the following Agencies:
Ashland County Health Department
Columbia Gas
Rural Lorain County Water Authority
Mapleton School District Maintenance Department and Administration
Ashland County Sheriff’s Office
Huron County Sheriff’s Office
Medina County Sheriff’s Office
Wayne County Sheriff’s Office
Richland County Sheriff’s Office
Ashland City Police Division
Savannah Fire Department
Polk, Jackson, Perry Fire District
Nankin, Orange Twp. Fire District
City of Ashland Fire Division
Sullivan Fire Department
Firelands EMS
Results of fact gathering:
– Columbia Gas conducted sampling of the environment on the day of the incident and on Monday, Sept. 1, 2025.
The results of their sampling did not reveal any evidence of carbon monoxide exposure or poisoning, and there were no appliances within the building improperly functioning which would contribute to increased levels of carbon monoxide.
– Rural Lorain County Water Authority conducted sampling of the water inside of the building on Friday, Aug. 29. No evidence of water contamination or adverse samples were noted during their examination, and chlorine levels were within normal range.
– Contact was made with the coordinating physician at University Hospital Ashland, who was coordinating information sharing for the students who were transported to hospitals on Friday, Aug. 29.
A preliminary report from the Medical Coordinator indicated there was no evidence of drug toxicity with any of the students who were treated. Additional investigation is being conducted in coordination with the medical professionals and patients.
– Interviews were conducted with the students who were transported to local hospitals.
Sheriff’s Office Detectives in Ashland, Huron, Medina, Richland and Wayne Counties, as well as from the City of Ashland Police Division, conducted these interviews. Information gleaned from these interviews did not identify any patterns of personal contact between the students who were experiencing symptoms at the school.
– Interviews were conducted with the staff members in the school at the time of the incident. There were no reports of staff members experiencing the same symptoms as the students and no staff members were treated by EMS or at any of the local hospitals.
– Video surveillance footage was reviewed by Ashland County Sheriff’s Office and Mapleton School District Staff. There is no evidence of coordinated student, staff or intruder activities leading up to the incident.
– Ashland County Sheriff’s Office and Mapleton School District personnel conducted a thorough protective sweep of the interior of the building for foreign objects or devices which may have been involved in the incident.
Nothing unusual was located during the protective sweep.
– Information was obtained from the Mapleton School District Staff who indicated there was no maintenance being performed on any of the natural gas fueled appliances. T
here were no deliveries of chemicals, solvents or caustic materials on the day of the incident.
In closing, I would ask the public to be patient and understanding. We are continuing the investigation and collection of data and information.
We will not stop making inquires until such time all information that can be obtained has been collected.
These types of investigations are complex and can take extended periods of time to comb through voluminous amounts of data and information.
Once all of the data and information has been evaluated, we will provide a detailed analysis of our findings.
I reiterate to the public that the building is safe and there’s no supporting evidence suggesting otherwise.
Kurt J. Schneider
Ashland County Sheriff