RUTHERFORD COUNTY, Tenn. (WGNS News) - On Wednesday afternoon, parents of children who attend Siegel Middle School received a message from the school principal after an unusual situation unfolded involving a student and a small bag of blood, described by school officials as a “baggie.” While school administrators focused on addressing the incident and the students involved, attention elsewhere quickly turned to social media, where details about what happened were apparently distorted, according to information WGNS learned from Rutherford County Schools on Thursday evening.

The unusual incident unfolded quickly, and accounts of what occurred grew beyond the circumstances described by school officials before parents were contacted with details. James Evans, Chief Communications Officer for Rutherford County Schools, stated, “We, too, saw the social media post from a parent last night, and the information that was shared was not accurate.”

Evans told WGNS that a sixth-grade student brought a “...small, sealed baggie of her blood to school with her yesterday.” Several parents responding to a social media post questioned how the student obtained the blood, how it was collected and where the child may have been bleeding in order to have enough to place in a bag. Despite those questions, no verified explanation was provided about how the blood was obtained. The school system has not released further details explaining why the student brought it to school, but Evans emphasized, “At no time was the bag opened and no student got any blood on them.” He also confirmed that the blood belonged to the student.

Meanwhile, one parent wrote on social media, “If you are the parent of the kid who brought the blood to Siegel Middle School, and was throwing it on other kids, one being my son, do better.” The parent then mentioned that they were considering filing a police report and went on to say the blood should have been tested. The following morning, the parent said they arrived at the school to discuss the situation further. Evans confirmed, “School personnel did speak with that parent this morning during drop off to correct the misinformation.” Later, the parent suggested that the school had changed its account of what occurred.

Evans disputed the claim that blood was thrown on students, stating, “The student did not throw blood on anyone, as the social media poster alleged.” He also told WGNS that school personnel, including the nurse and a school resource officer, responded to the situation. Evans confirmed that the student was disciplined and that administrators met with her parents. The matter was also reviewed by the SRO, who determined the circumstances did not warrant criminal charges.

In addressing the baggie of blood, Evans said, “The nurse at the school followed our procedures for bloodborne pathogens and disposed of the fluid properly.” The nurse also checked the students who had handled the sealed bag to ensure they had not come into contact with its contents. As a precaution, each student was instructed to properly and thoroughly wash their hands or any other part of their body that may have touched the baggie. Parents of the students involved were contacted that afternoon to ensure they had accurate information about what occurred.

In closing, Evans summarized the incident by saying, “This was an odd situation that the school addressed yesterday.”