School Canceled Friday After Foul Odor At Midwest City Elementary

A strange odor shut down Midwest City Elementary School Friday as school officials investigated the cause. Officials say carbon monoxide was not found, but three staff members did seek medical attention.

It's a brand new school so, many parents are surprised there was an odor issue.

"We had to leave our classroom because no one was focusing on their work, just the smell," said Fifth grader Martin Quisenberry.

With no school Friday, Quisenberry helped his aunt move boxes into their garage. He said it was Tuesday when he could smell a gas-like odor at his school, and that's when firefighters and maintenance investigated the issue and the school was evacuated.

"We all had to go out on the playground because the teachers told us to, and we asked and there was ambulance and fire trucks there, and one of the music teachers got hurt and two others, my teacher said they got lightheaded."

Firefighters inspected all the rooms and said a carbon monoxide leak was negative.

“They said it might be a gas leak, and I wasn't scared, they did their job and took everyone outside and let us know what was going on, so I'm glad they closed it, rather them be there and be worried about them,” said parent Kasey Walkingstick.

So, the school was closed as crews assessed the school's air quality condition and conducted environmental tests.

Parent Paul Bolin found out when the school called and left a message.

"I'm not concerned until they tell me to get concerned, I know they were investigating some strange smells in the gym, but it's a brand new school, so it could be anything,” Bolin said.

Bolin's daughter Mary Le said she wanted to know what was causing the problem after she smelled “something weird.”

Mary Le said she didn't want school to be canceled because it was “Jet pride day” and they were supposed to make cards for a new student.

"I was a little bit sad, but I like that I can have a chance to read my library book," Mary Le said.

Mid-Del Schools issue this statement late Friday:

As a result of our testing yesterday and today, we have found that we had a sewer drain not venting properly that was located in the SE part of the building. The venting will be repaired by the end of day today. All air quality testing results proved clear. Additionally, the natural gas test conducted by Oklahoma Natural Gas (ONG) proved clear.

The District will be monitoring the building over the weekend. We will contact families through our automated phone system and through the media on Sunday, February 1, regarding returning to school on Monday, February 2. If a parent feels a child is not feeling well, we respect the parent's decision to seek medical treatment.

We appreciate the efforts of our team to ensure the safety of our students and staff including; the City of Midwest City, CMS Willowbrook, our contractors, and the Mid-Del District Operations and Maintenance Team. We would also like to thank the Midwest City Elementary students, parents, staff and Mid-Del team for their patience during this time. ?