Two more families have sued Chicago Public Schools and the Board of Education after a carbon monoxide leak last fall at a Northwest Side school sent dozens of students to hospitals, bringing the number of lawsuits to eight.
Two of Jennifer Lynn Koshiol’s children were at Prussing Elementary School on Oct. 30, 2015, as were two of Juan Gonzalez’s children, according to lawsuits filed separately Thursday in Cook County Circuit Court.
About 9:30 a.m., emergency crews were called for a report of a sick child in the gymnasium, fire officials said at the time. The school at 4650 N. Menard Ave. was evacuated when high carbon monoxide levels were detected in the hallways.
At least 71 children and seven adults were taken to various hospitals with dizziness, nausea and abdominal pain. None of the illnesses were thought to be life-threatening.
The school’s boiler was the source of the leak, CPS officials said at the time.
Koshiol and Gonzalez claim their kids suffered serious injuries, and that school officials should have better maintained the building’s boiler vent system. Six other families filed suit in November 2015.
Each negligence suit seeks more than $100,000 in damages. CPS representatives did not immediately return messages for comment Thursday evening.
