"Blackout" Deaths in Branford, Florida
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Updated: 7:33 PM Jan 18, 2005
"Blackout" Deaths in Branford, Florida
Parents, teachers and staff are coming together to find a solution to a problem they fear is becoming an epidemic.
Posted: 7:33 PM Jan 18, 2005
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Folks in the small town of Branford, Florida never thought three students would be victims of what school officials are calling self-inflicted deaths.

Staci Hart, a concerned parent, says, "I was shocked. When it first happened I was shocked. The last child was one of my child's good friends. It just shocked me."

Parents are worried the deaths stem from a game called "blackout" where kids cut off their supply of oxygen, a game many parents knew nothing about until now.

Hart adds, "I've talked to some of the kids’ parents in 11th and 12th grades and they have no clue. They've heard ‘blackout’ game but they didn't know what it was."

School officials say they are doing everything in their power to get these kids help.

Ted Roush, Branford High School Principal, says, "The community will move on. The school will move forward and we will get through this as a family and community."

Parents say this problem has been a harsh reminder that the community of Branford needs to come together and offer activities for these kids to get involved with.

Hart says, "We need to listen to these children. There's an epidemic going on here."

It’s an epidemic that certainly has the attention of a community that refuses to lose any more children.

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