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The dog owner said she hated giving up the dogs but was "more concerned about the kids that were injured and how traumatic this was for them."

Two dogs attacked students and teachers Dec. 20 on the Willard intermediate South playground. Summoned to a Willard school in late December after reports of a dog attacking children, a Springfield animal control officer was approached in the parking lot by a frantic neighbor looking for her missing pit bull mixes.

The officer jotted down the name and phone number of the woman before rushing into Willard Intermediate South on the afternoon of Dec. 20, according to reports obtained by the News-Leader.

Inside, the officer and a school resource officer met several people who tried to explain the chaotic incident that had just unfolded during recess.

They found the nurse's office, where they saw a young girl with a severe leg injury. A second bite victim was found near the door to the playground.

The officers called for additional help and to see if ambulances were getting close. The school officer started looking for the dogs and the animal control officer worked with school employees to locate, and document, all the injured teachers and students.

The reports obtained late Wednesday through a Sunshine Law request provide a detailed look at what unfolded on the playground and the investigation that followed.

More:Willard students, teachers injured in dog attack during school recess

In all, 18 students and three teachers reported injuries, although most were minor scrapes and bruises suffered in the rush to get to safety. Six required medical attention and were transported to local hospitals.

Teachers jumped in to defend, rescue children

The officers viewed video recorded by the school that showed students were playing on the east side of the school during recess shortly after 1 p.m. when two dogs appeared from the neighborhood.

The dogs, one white and one dark, ran back and forth and then approached children playing on the slide. At that point, children began running.

The video showed dogs going after the children and biting, snapping and knocking them over. Teachers, including one that was pregnant, jumped in to defend the children.

The white dog got a hold of a young girl and dragged her to the ground. The darker dog went after teachers who were trying to intervene.

One teacher was bitten on the leg, a second was bitten on both legs and a third was bitten on the right hand. The children were bitten on the legs and thighs.

A school spokeswoman said the day of the incident that nurses, counselors and administrators from other schools responded to help. The intermediate school, located in the Springfield city limits, serves children in grades 5 and 6.

According to the reports, additional animal control officers responded along with school resource officers and the Springfield police.

The report shows officers located the dogs at a home less than a mile from the school, where they found two dogs contained inside the vehicle of Jenna Sue Evans, 36, of Springfield. She was the same woman who had earlier approached the officer outside the school.

Evans stood outside the vehicle and was visibly distraught, according to the report. She told officers her dogs had "never done anything like this. I have kids and grandkids at home and I don't understand what happened."

The dogs were male with no collar or microchip and they had not been neutered. Evans said one was vaccinated but the other was not. Their age and size was not reported.

The white dog, Merel, was a Straffordshire bull terrier mixed with a pit bull. The dark brindle dog, Dozer, was a Boxer mixed with pit bull, according to the report.

Evans's brother told the officers, and then signed a statement, saying he was the one at home when the dogs ran away.

According to the report, before officers could talk about next steps, Evans said: "I know the dogs have to go. I hate it but I am more concerned about the kids that were injured and how traumatic this was for them."

Photos taken of the dogs were compared to video from the school to confirm they were involved.

After Evans voluntarily signed over the dogs, they were transported to the city, where they were euthanized and tested for rabies. The results were negative.

A report from animal control said due to the scale of the incident, Evans was issued municipal citations for having a dog at large, failure to vaccinate for rabies, failure to register a pit bull inside the city limits and for having vicious dogs. The citations carry a range of fines.

Reached by phone Thursday, Evans said she was unaware of the citations. Evans said she was not home when her brother let the dogs out. "I've never left them outside by themselves."

"They were very well-behaved dogs. They had never shown aggression," Evans said.

Evans said she feels awful for the families who were scared and hurt in the incident.

"I pray for those kids and the teachers and all the kids that were traumatized by that," she said. "They'll remember that for the rest of their lives and they'll have nightmares and it breaks my heart."

Will school district add playground fence?

In Springfield, owners are required to register pit bulls along with proof of rabies vaccination, spaying or neutering, and a microchip. There is a $50 fee.

Individuals who violate the pit bull regulations face a minimum fine of $500 or one year probation and 100 hours of community service. Jail time is possible.

The News-Leader reached out to the school district to see if anyone connected to the incident wanted to talk but was told it was too soon.

Asked if a fence will be erected around the playground, the district issued a statement through Heather Harman-Michael, director of communications and public relations.

"When any situation occurs, we come together to discuss what happened, what we could have done differently, and what we can do in the future to prevent similar occurrences from happening," she said.

"Those are the conversations we are currently having. We are encouraging our neighbors to be cognizant of keeping their animals contained near all of our campuses as we continue to encourage outdoor play."