No carbon monoxide found at elementary school
Williamsburg Elementary School in the North Callaway R-I School District re-closed Friday after staff members continued to experience headaches and watery eyes due to an unknown cause.
Some staff members at the school started complaining of headaches Wednesday morning, and the school closed Wednesday, reporting a possible gas leak. The North Callaway Fire Protection District investigated and thought it determined the cause of the leak.
The school was reopened on Thursday, but one area of the building was still causing headaches for some staff members, said North Callaway Superintendent Brian Garner. Garner said the symptoms started after a new heating and cooling unit was installed and officials believe the new unit wasn’t burning its propane fuel properly, putting carbon monoxide into the air.
Garner said the unit is being replaced again.
The Department of Natural Resources was at the school Friday and found no carbon monoxide or other harmful gases in the air, Caleb Troutt with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources said. The agency plans to set up air quality monitors over the weekend to allow it evaluate the air over a longer period of time, Troutt said.
The agency will check the results Sunday, Troutt said.
The main office was the area affected, and Garner said four agencies have investigated. It wasn’t clear Friday whether class would be back in session Monday.
Parents and guardians were alerted to the closure, and no students were sickened by the leak, Garner said.
