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Kim Lamb • LVN photo Students with plastic bags on their feet wait to be cleared to go home in the Churchill County High School cafeteria Tuesday afternoon after a mercury spill kept about 500 students at the school until early evening.
About 500 students and 82 adults were kept at Churchill County High School into the early evening Tuesday after possibly being exposed to mercury.
A male student brought two thermometers to school and either inadvertently or purposely spilled the mercury from the thermometers or broke them. The mercury was spilled in the boys' bathroom of the math building and in a main school building, and students were locked down as they prepared to leave school for the day.
Superintendent Carolyn Ross said school staff looked for plastic bags for students to wear for protection, and added the Environmental Protection Agency was called to assess the situation.
The school district announced there were no apparent injuries or ill effects to any student or adult.
All students and adults were released by 7:30 p.m.
Whether the high school will be open today is yet to be determined, though Interim High School Principal Robbin Pedrett told some students class would likely be in session.
A male student brought two thermometers to school and either inadvertently or purposely spilled the mercury from the thermometers or broke them. The mercury was spilled in the boys' bathroom of the math building and in a main school building, and students were locked down as they prepared to leave school for the day.
Superintendent Carolyn Ross said school staff looked for plastic bags for students to wear for protection, and added the Environmental Protection Agency was called to assess the situation.
The school district announced there were no apparent injuries or ill effects to any student or adult.
All students and adults were released by 7:30 p.m.
Whether the high school will be open today is yet to be determined, though Interim High School Principal Robbin Pedrett told some students class would likely be in session.
Ross concurred, saying until further notice, that is the plan.
Parents are encouraged to verify the school's status with local media outlets this morning.
The highest level of contamination detected was in the boys' bathroom in the math building, but that reading was less than half the safe level established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Dante Pistone, spokesman for the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, told the Associated Press.
"It looks like it is going to be not nearly as serious as initially thought," Pistone said. "Everything is fine now."
The mercury spill occurred at about 9:30 a.m., but staff was not informed until about 1:30 p.m.
"The problem is the incident occurred after 9 a.m., but was not reported until the afternoon," said Don Vetter, part-time public relations official for the district.
Parents are encouraged to verify the school's status with local media outlets this morning.
The highest level of contamination detected was in the boys' bathroom in the math building, but that reading was less than half the safe level established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Dante Pistone, spokesman for the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, told the Associated Press.
"It looks like it is going to be not nearly as serious as initially thought," Pistone said. "Everything is fine now."
The mercury spill occurred at about 9:30 a.m., but staff was not informed until about 1:30 p.m.
"The problem is the incident occurred after 9 a.m., but was not reported until the afternoon," said Don Vetter, part-time public relations official for the district.
Vetter said the Nevada Department of Environmental Protection Agency started testing the students shortly after 6 p.m., and testing was still being conducted at 7 p.m.
Ross said the testing of the school was to be done by 3:30 a.m. today by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Numerous students returned to the school after hearing they may have been contaminated and had to knock on locked doors to be allowed in.
Students were taken to the cafeteria and were instructed to take their shoes off and replace them with garbage bags.
School buses were on hand to take students home who had no other transportation.
Parent Dee Gregory was waiting outside the locked doors of the high school to get some information on the mercury contamination and noted his son was inside.
"We are concerned about it. We will just hang out here," he said, adding his son called him from his cell phone to tell him he could not leave the school.
Ross said the testing of the school was to be done by 3:30 a.m. today by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Numerous students returned to the school after hearing they may have been contaminated and had to knock on locked doors to be allowed in.
Students were taken to the cafeteria and were instructed to take their shoes off and replace them with garbage bags.
School buses were on hand to take students home who had no other transportation.
Parent Dee Gregory was waiting outside the locked doors of the high school to get some information on the mercury contamination and noted his son was inside.
"We are concerned about it. We will just hang out here," he said, adding his son called him from his cell phone to tell him he could not leave the school.
Robert Zelasko showed up with his parents and his school clothes in a plastic bag at the urging of his stepfather after hearing some students needed to go back to the site to be tested.
Raymond Kelley, the stepfather of Zelasko, wondered if his home had been contaminated and asked what it would mean for their cats.
He said his stepson had no idea he may have been exposed and left the school before the lockdown occurred. He said a friend called Zelasko to tell him he could have been exposed to the mercury.
Kelley said he was concerned for the safety of his family.
"I have two young ones, a stepdaughter and my wife," he said. "Why shouldn't I be concerned at my home?"
Many students took the incident in stride and understood the concern.
Raymond Kelley, the stepfather of Zelasko, wondered if his home had been contaminated and asked what it would mean for their cats.
He said his stepson had no idea he may have been exposed and left the school before the lockdown occurred. He said a friend called Zelasko to tell him he could have been exposed to the mercury.
Kelley said he was concerned for the safety of his family.
"I have two young ones, a stepdaughter and my wife," he said. "Why shouldn't I be concerned at my home?"
Many students took the incident in stride and understood the concern.
Bailey Corkill and Anthony Tisdale, both juniors, were some of the first students who were cleared to leave shortly after 6 p.m.
"At first I thought it was no big deal," Tisdale said, adding he realized the seriousness of the matter when the HAZMAT team showed up.
"People just wanted to know what happened," Corkill added.
Tisdale and Corkill had class across from the boys' bathroom where one of the mercury spills occurred.
Tisdale said at first he did not understand why 35 to 40 percent of the students were being kept at school.
"Everyone thought the principal was trying to find out who broke the thermometers," he said.
He added the district gave the students bottled water but no food during the four-to-five-hour ordeal.
"At first I thought it was no big deal," Tisdale said, adding he realized the seriousness of the matter when the HAZMAT team showed up.
"People just wanted to know what happened," Corkill added.
Tisdale and Corkill had class across from the boys' bathroom where one of the mercury spills occurred.
Tisdale said at first he did not understand why 35 to 40 percent of the students were being kept at school.
"Everyone thought the principal was trying to find out who broke the thermometers," he said.
He added the district gave the students bottled water but no food during the four-to-five-hour ordeal.
