Classes have resumed at a Moncton, N.B., school, after an unknown substance that prompted a medical emergency turned out to be baking soda.
Parents with students at Evergreen Park School received an email just after 9 a.m. Thursday stating that a staff member had experienced a medical emergency and that the school had called 911.
The school, which has students in kindergarten through Grade 5, was placed under hold and secure — meaning nobody was allowed to enter or exit the building.
Get daily National news
Get the day’s top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.
Moncton Fire, the hazardous materials team, Ambulance NB and RCMP responded to the scene. Meanwhile, a group of concerned parents began arriving and waiting outside for news.
“Out of an abundance of the utmost care and caution, this has required an extended period of time for first responders to remain in the building, as well as the deployment of a hazmat team to assist in their investigation,” wrote Anglophone East School District superintendent and CEO, Randolph MacLEAN, in an update a couple hours later.
At around 11:50 a.m., a final update from MacLEAN said a staff member had opened a delivery box and came into contact with a substance. First responders confirmed the substance was baking soda.
“We are relieved to share that everyone is safe, and the staff member who experienced the reaction is doing well,” he wrote, adding that the hold and secure was lifted.
The Anglophone East School District said the baking soda was found in a box containing a Diaper Genie (diaper disposal container), which the school had ordered.
“The police are investigating to confirm that baking soda is usually placed in these boxes for freshness,” said spokesperson Stephanie Patterson.
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
Hold and secure lifted at Moncton school, medical emergency caused by baking soda
