PRINCE GEORGE COUNTY, Va. -- A Prince George elementary school closed for the day Thursday to allow maintenance crews and engineers to inspect the building after many complained of an odor in the building.
South Elementary School, which opened in 1963, has about 500 students enrolled today.
In 2023, the school underwent a large renovation to replace the building's heating and cooling system.
"We spent $1.6 million to upgrade the HVAC and boilers at South," said Prince George Schools Superintendent Dr. Lisa Pennycuff.
However, when temperatures dropped and the boiler came online, issues arose.
For the last two weeks, students, staff, and parents have been complaining of an odor in the school.
"I don't think the problem has been resolved because there's still an odor off and on," said Cindy Simmons, whose three grandchildren attend the elementary school.
Simmons says the school's closing on Thursday sounds suspicious.
"I think it was very strange the children were in school yesterday and about an hour after they came home, then they made the decision to close it," Simmons said.
The new heating system, which runs on heating oil, had its first problem on January 10, when staff reported smelling an odor in the building.
Staff opened windows and doors, and the fire department came into the school to check the air quality.
“We also did some carbon monoxide readings and everything was in the normal range,” Dr. Pennycuff said.
A contractor who installed the systems later found the problem causing the odor in the school, saying that there was a blockage present.
The smell continued for the next several days, with students and staff eventually evacuating the building on January 11.
When the cause of the odor in two separate classrooms couldn't be found on Wednesday, the school shut down on Thursday.
"So today, Thursday, we have the engineers who designed the system, we have the contractor who installed the system, and division maintenance over at South Elementary School," Dr. Pennycuff said. "They are going through the entire system to make sure it is operating like it should and it is safe for everyone to be in the building.”
Dr. Pennycuff tells CBS 6 that the Thursday morning check did not turn up any problems, no readings were outside the normal range, and that the heating system was working as designed.
Students will not return to the school on Friday for a staff professional development day, but the heating system will be in use due to the cold temperatures.
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