GLADEWATER, Texas (EAST TEXAS NEWS) – The Sabine Independent School District (Sabine ISD) will resume classes for elementary students on Tuesday, after a gas odor prompted an evacuation Monday morning.
On Monday morning, Sabine ISD moved all elementary students and staff to the high school’s auditorium following the evacuation of the elementary campus, according to district officials.
In a statement released Monday afternoon, the district said that neither the Sabine Fire Department nor Atmos Energy detected gas, and that tests on the gas lines had also been conducted.
They determined that the odor was caused by a roof-mounted heating unit during the heat transfer process.
“We regret the disruption to our usual schedule, but the safety of our students and staff will always be our top priority,” the school said.
The evacuation was ordered early in the morning as a precaution after cafeteria staff reported a possible gas odor upon arriving before 7 a.m.
“Of course, we contacted the local fire department, the Sabine Fire Department, and our energy company, Atmos Energy, to conduct an assessment,” said Superintendent of Schools Monte Pepper. “The first thing we did was determine whether the building was safe. Obviously, many of our students hadn’t arrived yet, so we needed that time to determine whether we could hold classes that day.”
Emergency crews arrived on the scene and subsequently confirmed that no gas was detected.
Elementary campus classes were canceled for the rest of the day, while the district’s other Sabine ISD campuses continued to operate normally.
