Updated

Updated · Fox News · Sep 24

Iowa Field Trip Incident Kills 24-Year-Old Teacher and 10-Year-Old Student at Lake Macbride

Updated

Updated · Fox News · Sep 24

Iowa Field Trip Incident Kills 24-Year-Old Teacher and 10-Year-Old Student at Lake Macbride

Q: Why was a popular statewide nature program suspended after a devastating and unexplained water incident in Iowa?

The program was suspended because a teacher and a 10-year-old student died during a School of the Wild field trip at Lake Macbride, and officials still do not know publicly how they ended up in the water. The incident happened near the Coralville Reservoir spillway during a fifth-grade outing from Borlaug Elementary in Iowa City. Authorities identified the victims as teacher Hannah Jorgensen, 24, and student Ahmed Osman, 10. Jorgensen was recovered Tuesday and pronounced dead at the scene; Ahmed’s body was found Wednesday after an overnight pause in the search. In response, the Iowa City Community School District canceled future School of the Wild trips, and University of Iowa School of the Wild programming was suspended while investigators examine what happened. The district described the deaths as a tragic accident, but the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office has said the case remains under investigation and has not released an explanation for how the two entered the water. The suspension reflects both immediate safety concerns and the need to preserve confidence in the program while facts are established. School of the Wild is a long-running, widely used outdoor education program serving students across Iowa, so the pause is significant. At the same time, the district and program leaders have focused on support for grieving students, staff and families, with counselors made available at Borlaug Elementary.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 24

Johnson County authorities identified the victims as Hannah Jorgensen, 24, of Tiffin and Ahmed Osman, 10, of Iowa City after both were recovered from Lake Macbride State Park following a fifth-grade field trip incident.
Deputies were called shortly after noon Tuesday to reports of people in the water near the Coralville Reservoir spillway; an adult was recovered at 12:43 p.m., and the juvenile was found at 1:24 p.m. Wednesday after an overnight suspension.
Iowa City Community School District said Jorgensen taught fifth grade at Borlaug Elementary and Ahmed was her student, and that the deaths occurred during a School of the Wild trip at the Macbride Nature Recreation Area.
More than a dozen agencies joined the search and recovery operation, while the district kept counselors at Borlaug Elementary and Gov. Kim Reynolds offered condolences as the sheriff's office continued investigating.