The unexplained incidents occurred at Colbert County High School, where similar symptoms were reported during the previous school year.
LEIGHTON, Ala. — Six teenage girls experienced seizure-like episodes at about the same time at Colbert County High School, prompting renewed concern over unexplained symptoms that also affected students during the previous school year, school officials and local reports said.
One of the students was taken to a hospital for treatment after the Aug. 24 episodes, while the other five remained at school or left with their parents, according to Colbert County Schools. WAFF, citing the Shoals Insider, reported that the students were girls around 14 years old. Officials have not publicly released their names or detailed their individual medical conditions, and no confirmed cause for the episodes has been announced.
Colbert County Schools Superintendent Nathan Fuller said the district contacted the Alabama Department of Public Health after similar episodes began during the 2025-26 school year. Fuller said he has remained in contact with the department and that the district has followed its recommendations. He told the school community that state health officials had found no evidence of a public health outbreak or exposure linked to the campus.
The Alabama Department of Public Health said medical officers conducted an extensive review of the earlier incidents. The review included medical records from students involved and interviews with their families, according to a department statement released by the school district. State officials also consulted national and state experts before concluding the earlier symptoms were not associated with an outbreak or an exposure considered a matter of public health importance.
The finding does not explain what caused the symptoms. Officials continue to describe the events as seizure-like episodes or distressing symptoms rather than publicly identifying a specific diagnosis. No environmental, infectious or other cause has been established in information released by the district or health department. Fuller said privacy rules governing student medical information also limit what the school system can disclose publicly.
The Aug. 24 incident drew attention because all six students reportedly developed symptoms around the same time. The school district has not released a detailed timeline of the episodes or said where on campus the students were when they began. Officials also have not publicly said whether all six students experienced identical symptoms or whether medical professionals determined that the episodes were seizures.
Similar unexplained incidents occurred during the previous academic year. Fuller said he contacted state health officials as soon as those episodes began and provided the information available to the district. The health department’s subsequent review found no outbreak or exposure of public health significance, but officials have not publicly announced a medical explanation for what the students experienced.
Fuller sought to reassure families that Colbert County High School remained safe for students. He said school employees respond immediately when a student develops distressing symptoms and contact parents so they can work with staff on the appropriate response. The superintendent said the district would continue following recommendations from the Alabama Department of Public Health.
The case has remained unusual because of the repeated nature of the episodes and the lack of a publicly identified cause. Health officials have ruled out an outbreak or exposure of public health importance based on their review of the earlier cases, but that determination does not amount to a diagnosis for the affected students. Officials have not disclosed whether additional medical examinations or other investigations are underway.
As of Aug. 31, the cause of the seizure-like episodes had not been publicly determined. Colbert County Schools said it would continue working with state health officials while protecting the students’ medical privacy, and no broader public health threat at the school had been identified.
Author note: Last updated August 31, 2026.