SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. — A school bus crash sent nearly two dozen students to the hospital this morning, school district officials said. Social Circle City Schools said two buses were involved in an accident Thursday at around 9:40 a.m. on State Route 11 in Newton County.
They said a total of 22 eighth-grade students were transported to Newton Piedmont medical facilities to be examined and treated, under the advisement by on-scene emergency officials.
All other passengers on the buses were OK, they said. Staff members were at the medical facilities to meet with families as they arrived, they said in a social media post.
According to the safety coordinator for the district, Todd Hilton, the two buses were heading to Atlanta on a field trip. When the weather began to deteriorate, the district called all buses back to the school.
Hilton said the first bus had to stop short to avoid an accident ahead when the second bus hit it from behind. They were both able to avoid the other accident.
All other students were transported back to the school on a separate bus. All students have since been released from the hospital and the school has canceled all after-school activities.
"We appreciate the support we received from the Newton County Schools transportation department in assisting our students to the hospital," the district said in a release on social media. "We would like to thank Piedmont Newton Hospital for triage and treatment. They made a stressful situation a lot easier."
The Georgia State Patrol is handling the investigation.
Return to 11Alive.com for updates.
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