What was supposed to be a fun elementary school field trip to the movies turned into a frightening health scare after more than 30 children suddenly became sick after eating snacks at a South Carolina theater.
The incident unfolded Monday, May 18, when about 180 students from Eugene Sires Elementary School visited the Cinemark on Ladson Road in Summerville for a school field trip.
But shortly after the children reportedly ate food from the theater, the trip took a disturbing turn.
Parents and chaperones said students began vomiting, triggering an urgent response from school officials, nurses, EMS, and poison control.
Reports have differed slightly on the total number of children who became ill. WCSC reported that as many as 36 students got sick, while WCIV and WRDW reported the number was 32.
Either way, the scene was alarming enough that school administrators were immediately notified by a teacher chaperone, and district nursing staff quickly stepped in to help.
Once the students returned to campus, the children who fell ill were evaluated and treated by EMS and the school nurse, according to WCSC.
For parents, the call was terrifying.
Ashley Williams, whose daughter was among the students who became sick, told WCSC she was startled when the phone rang and it was not even the school calling.
“It was pretty scary because I got a call from a number that wasn’t the school number,” Williams said. “And they just said that my daughter got ill during the field trip, that I need to come get her, and that poison control and EMS had been called because several other students had gotten ill.”
Her daughter has since recovered, according to the outlet.
The South Carolina Department of Public Health has now launched an investigation into what caused the children to suddenly become sick.
The agency confirmed the investigation to PEOPLE after the incident drew attention from local outlets.
Dorchester School District Two also sent a message to parents, stressing that student safety remained the district’s top priority.
“Student safety and care remain among our highest priorities,” the district’s message read, according to WCIV. “We appreciate the quick response of our staff and healthcare personnel as we continue to monitor the situation and support our students and families.”
For any parent, the details are deeply unsettling. A routine school outing turned into a medical scare involving dozens of young children, emergency responders, and unanswered questions about what exactly happened inside the theater.
Still, officials are being careful not to jump to conclusions.
Amanda Sims, Dorchester School District Two’s director of nursing and health services, said the situation was far from ordinary.
“This is definitely an unusual situation,” Sims told WCSC. “That’s why we wanted to step in and take action quickly since this is certainly not your average day in the school nursing world.”
Sims added that the district was not speculating about the cause and would leave that part to the proper agencies.
“We don’t speculate the cause of this incident but we leave that to the agencies who are responsible for those types of things,” she said.
She also noted that the district is deferring to the agencies that oversee commercial businesses and food vendors.
“We’re not leading the investigation,” Sims said. “We defer to those agencies that oversee commercial businesses and vendors that sell and distribute food and trust that they’re operating within the scope of their agency to ensure that places that are open to the public are safe for public consumption and use.”
The Cinemark location reportedly had an A rating in its most recent inspection in February 2025, according to WCSC. The outlet also reported that previous inspection reports for the theater were also A ratings.
That makes the sudden wave of sickness even more puzzling.
Parents have been advised to seek additional medical care if their children need it, according to WCIV.
Dorchester School District Two, Cinemark, Eugene Sires Elementary School, and the South Carolina Department of Agriculture did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
For now, the big question remains unanswered: what caused dozens of elementary school children to suddenly vomit after a field trip that was supposed to be a simple day at the movies?
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