Belle Elementary School propane leak fixed

A propane leak at Belle Elementary School has been fixed and classes are continuing as normal.

Superintendent Dr. Patrick Call said administrators and students first noticed a bad smell before Christmas, so they called a repairman.

They replaced the regulator, which is considered to be the heart of the propane system, and the smell went away. But it came back Wednesday morning.

“We had conflicting reports on what it could have been, so we weren’t sure until this [Thursday] morning. So once they identified it, maintenance immediately shut it off so there was no danger to anybody,” Dr. Call said.

Classes continued as normal Wednesday and Thursday because the heat didn’t have to be shut off.

“We only had to shut the supply line to the propane leak off, which just affected the art room and library,” Call said.

He said the heat was turned back on there before students came in the rooms.

But a viewer called and complained, saying some of the 800 students and several staff members were sickened by the leak, experiencing headaches. The viewer also said she was concerned the leak wasn’t fixed quickly.

But Dr. Call stressed to ABC 17 News that he had not heard any reports of anyone getting sick with headaches or anything else.

Administrators still don’t know what caused the propane leak yet, but are working to figure it out.