Playground closed after students become sick in Beijing
A primary school playground has been deemed off limits after some students at the school reportedly became sick.
An investigation will be carried out on the playground of Beijing No 2 Experimental Elementary School's Baiyunlu campus, the education commission of Beijing's Xicheng district said on Friday.
"Parents will be invited to work together with education experts and authorities, and findings will be released in a timely manner," the commission said on its website.
The announcement was made after some students at the school reported bloody noses, dizziness, coughs and rashes.
Parents of the sick students doubted these symptoms were caused by the recently renovated playground, according to a report by the Beijing News.
"Doctors asked me whether we were doing interior decoration at home," a parent surnamed Zhang, who took her child to hospital after the symptoms occurred, was quoted as saying.
"They asked me to take my child away from any irritating odor to avoid further sickness."
Some parents said the playground was renovated during the summer vacation last year and had been painted at least twice since, in April and May.
Students of the fourth, fifth and sixth grades had frequent events in late May, parents said.
Beijing No 2 Experimental Elementary School's Baiyunlu campus, formerly known as Baiyunlu Elementary School or Fuxinglu Elementary School, was established in the 1960s and now has more than 1,000 students.
Similar incidents were previously reported in provinces like Anhui, Henan and Jiangsu.
Wang Dinghua, an official in charge of basic education with the Ministry of Education, said at a previous news conference that the ministry has clear standards and requirements for schools constructing playgrounds and racetracks.
But the standards haven't been well implemented in some areas for lack of strict supervision, which is a major cause of these incidents, he said.
The education commission of the Xicheng district said medical departments will offer professional help and guidance to affected students to ensure they are healthy.
Inspections will also be conducted on other school projects constructed or renovated in 2015 to prevent similar incidents, the commission said.
