Axe Body Spray stops a Florida school bus due to a “hazardous materials incident”

High-interest reading response / written paragraph critical thinking activity.

A middle school student sprays Axe Body Spray on a school bus which forces the evacuation of the bus. Firefighters and EMS are called to the scene. 

The critical thinking mini-lesson and discussion questions focus on the idea of being FULL-minded. Sometimes, we make a quick decision with limited information.

A school bus in Florida carrying 30 middle school students had an emergency. Everyone had to get off the bus because of a strong smell.

The bus driver called for help once everyone was safe. Soon, ambulances and fire trucks were there to help. Emergency services treated 15 students who had trouble breathing. No one was seriously injured.

The strong smell turned out to be Axe Body Spray.

A news reporter from People did some research. The reporter found what the fire department told
people. They called this a “hazardous materials incident.” Firefighters went to the school bus because students complained about a bad smell.

Mike Barber works for the school district. He is in charge of talking to the media. He told a reporter from TODAY news that the school buses are air-conditioned. All the windows on the bus were closed because of the warm weather. The TODAY article described what Barber told them. He said that the school “can not confirm or deny that Axe Body Spray specifically was the culprit in causing the smell.” He also said that “one student did have a bottle of empty Axe Body Spray in his backpack.”

Mike Williamson is a firefighter. He is the District Chief for the Parrish Fire District. He spoke with the 30 students. One student gave him an empty bottle of Axe Body Spray. The Division Chief told the reporter from TODAY that “this was a very good total collaboration of an emergency response… It was a good test. We take everything as a serious threat because we can’t afford not to.”