EMS to Reopen Monday

Dilly: Multiple students treated at DMC

Elkins Middle School was closed Friday, although the school’s employee parking lots were full of vehicles.

Elkins Middle School was closed Friday, although the school's employee parking lots were full of vehicles.

ELKINS -- Officials said Elkins Middle School will reopen for classes Monday, after being closed Friday following multiple EMS students being treated at Davis Medical Center Thursday with elevated carbon monoxide levels.

On Thursday, Randolph County Superintendent Dr. Shawn Dilly posted on social media, acknowledging that "fumes" from "a bucket of non-toxic glue" that was being used by "roofing contractors" at EMS caused an odor that some parents said made their children become ill. On Thursday night, the Friday closure of the school was announced.

On Friday afternoon, Dilly issued a two-page press release reading, in part, "On October 24, 2024, Elkins Middle School (EMS) experienced a temporary disruption due to a strong odor from adhesive glue associated with an ongoing roofing replacement project.

"Around 11:00 a.m., the smell affected several classrooms, and by 11:30 a.m., some classes had relocated to other parts of the building as a precautionary measure. The administration quickly began to investigate the odor, which was later believed to have been caused by an open bucket of non-toxic adhesive glue. The adhesive was later tested by poison control, who determined that it was not a cause of the elevated carbon monoxide levels.

"The school nurse assessed students who reported not feeling well during the incident while the school staff made efforts to ventilate the affected areas," the release continued. "At approximately 3:00 p.m., the hospital contacted the Elkins Fire Department and called the school after local hospital staff reported two students exhibiting signs of elevated carbon monoxide (CO) levels. The fire department, along with the local gas company, inspected the building and found that carbon monoxide levels were within normal safety ranges established by recognized safety organizations."

Dilly's release stresses that all CO readings at EMS remained below the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and World Health Organization (WHO) standards during inspection.

"As additional students began seeking medical evaluation at local emergency rooms, school officials convened with emergency management personnel, hospital staff and the fire department for a review," the release states. "A second inspection was conducted at 6 p.m., confirming that no elevated CO levels were detected in the building. However, out of caution, Randolph County School decided to close the school on Friday, Oct. 25, to allow for further investigation as more students continued to report symptoms."

The press release goes on to explain what took place during the inspection conducted on Friday.

"On the morning of Oct. 25, the Fire Marshal, an HVAC specialist from the West Virginia Department of Education, the Elkins Fire Department and school officials thoroughly inspected the facility," the statement reads. "A kitchen appliance was found to be operating outside of standard safety protocols; however, it was contained within the kitchen's venting system. The unit was promptly taken offline for repair, and no elevated carbon monoxide levels were detected within the kitchen area or in the remainder of the school.

"Randolph County Schools has installed additional carbon monoxide detectors throughout Elkins Middle School to further enhance safety measures," the press release continued. "These detectors will supplement the existing detection system by providing more comprehensive coverage of the school's facilities as students return to class on Monday, October 28, 2024."

The Inter-Mountain requested multiple times Friday to speak with Dilly about the situation, and was told the message would be passed on to him, but he did not return the call.

On Thursday afternoon, The Inter-Mountain received calls and texts from residents about EMS students becoming ill and being treated at Davis Medical Center.

On social media, several members of the community took issue with the information being released by Randolph County Schools, with some claiming their children were in the hospital for CO exposure despite Dilly's report that no elevated carbon monoxide levels were detected in the building.

"Bull crap, my granddaughter is in the hospital, levels of carbon monoxide is 4.7," Donna Hutton wrote in a Facebook comment on The Inter-Mountain Facebook page.

"Tell that to my son who was in the ER on O2 last night because his chest was hurting and he'd had a stomach/headache all day," Danielle Tracy wrote in another comment. "The bigger question is, when it was discovered that there was a problem at 9 a.m. yesterday, why didn't the school take action? Why didn't they alert parents sooner? The middle school really fudged up on this one and I want more/better answers."

Amanda Maggard wrote in a comment that her child "got dizzy at school from the fumes which he is very sensitive to stuff.

"But once I picked him up from school when they called me at 11:45 a.m.," Maggard said. "He felt better and is now completely back to normal." 

Maggard also added that her child told her he felt sick after smelling a strong scent of glue.

Others questioned why the roof work was being done during school hours when students were present.

"Why aren't the middle schoolers doing distance learning until the roof is repaired," Jess Lynn commented. "Knowing there are fumes and not evacuating the entire building and sending them home? It just doesn't sit right with me!"

Kelly Howard, a paralegal at Curnette Law in Elkins, wrote in a Facebook post that she had been contacted by several people seeking possible legal action in regard to what happened at the school Thursday.

"I've received multiple messages regarding the incident at Elkins Middle School yesterday," Howard wrote in her post. "People asking if our office handles these type of cases. We most certainly do!"

Around 3:30 p.m. on Friday, Randolph County Schools announced on its Facebook page that an automated call would go out to families of EMS students Friday evening; however, the subject of the call was not disclosed. The post reconfirmed that EMS will be open for classes on Monday.

The Inter-Mountain made phone calls and sent emails to Davis Medical Center on Thursday and Friday which were not answered or responded to by presstime Friday evening.

Dilly's two-page Friday afternoon press release can be read in its entirety at theintermountain.com.