School will go on as scheduled Friday at Fairview Elementary School in Demorest after concerns over a possible gas leak resulted in a forced evacuation Wednesday morning.
Habersham County Superintendent of Schools Matthew Cooper says Fairview’s principal, Jennifer Chitwood, reported smelling gas around 7:15 a.m. The school’s fire alarm was activated and everyone was evacuated from the building. Cooper says the fire department and gas company were notified and the school system maintenance department shut off all gas to the school building.
Students and staff were transported to The Torch Worship Center two miles away and remained there until Atlanta Gas Light and the Habersham County Fire Chief gave the “all clear” around 9:40 a.m.
Cooper says, “After an initial check, no gas leaks were found. The gas will remain shut off to the school building for the remainder of the day. A comprehensive check of all gas appliances will be performed this afternoon after all students and staff have left the building.” He says a normal school day is expected on Friday.
Parents were notified when the initial event took place, according to Cooper. He says they were informed that the students were being transported to the The Torch while the school was being checked by the fire department and gas company.
“Our school and system staff handled this situation like professionals,” the superintendent says. “Our school administrators, system maintenance department, and system nutrition department all worked together to ensure that the safety of our students was guarded and to ensure that the normal operation of the school resumed as quickly as possible.”
Cooper commends the calm response of teachers and staff who he says “took good care of their students during the event.” He adds, “We would also like thank Atlanta Gas Light and the Habersham County Fire Department for their quick response and help during the event this morning. We are also very grateful to Pastor Mike Franklin and The Torch for allowing us to use their facility as a relocation point this morning. The staff at The Torch were very helpful during this event.”
