As parents lined up to pick up their children from school, the calm of a typical afternoon was shattered by an urgent call over the radio: a medical emergency in the front of the parking lot. 

“The school dispatcher is telling me that we are having a medical in the front parking lot, and I see Miss Simmons, who works in the nurse’s office, start running out the door,” officer Russal Turner said. “There was this lady just parked in front of the school. She looked like she was about to pass out.” 

That lady was Ashley Haygood, who had just arrived to pick her daughter.  After being told she had to fill out a form to release her child, Haygood called a second time, and secretary Amanda Dreager realized something was wrong. 

“Haygood called back and I saw it was the same person, but that time when I answered her voice sounded completely different,” Dreager said. “The second time, you could tell she was almost wheezing.” 

Recognizing this urgency, Dreager alerted the staff, officers, and the nurse to ensure Haygood got immediate care.

After the ambulance was called, Dreager noticed that Haygood was having breathing issues and was struggling to stay standing. 

”I started hyperventilating,” Haywood said. “Because I have never felt anything like this before, I was very nervous, all I could think about was my children.”

Despite all that was happening to Ashley, she stayed calm and with the help of the staff,  was transported to the hospital and received the treatment she needed.

 “It was definitely a scary moment but it felt like I got the help that I needed from the staff members,” Haygood said.   

Haygood’s biggest worry during the emergency was how her daughters would react and whether they would be able to accompany her to the hospital. Fortunately, the staff arranged for her daughters to join her, ensuring that they wouldn’t be stressed about their mother’s condition. 

”I am very very grateful for how quickly they responded,” Haygood said. 

Now recovering at home, Haygood is focused on caring for her daughters, and is deeply grateful for the aid she received from the school.