Charleston Middle School was evacuated early Tuesday after a natural gas leak was discovered outside a residence adjacent to campus.
Tallahatchie County sheriff’s deputy Rodzinski Weekly said someone “backed into a gas meter and tipped it over” on private property situated just west of the school’s gymnasium, causing the pungent odor of natural gas to fill the air.
“We evacuated the whole middle school,” said East Tallahatchie School District Superintendent Dr. Darron Edwards. “Safety first.”
Edwards said all pupils and staff at CMS, which houses over 300 students in grades 5-8, were transported by bus to the Charleston Elementary School gymnasium.
“Our No. 1 priority was to get them off that campus,” Edwards noted, adding that the school’s safety plan was implemented and the evacuation was executed properly and “expeditiously.”
“Within 10 to 15 minutes, we had everybody off campus in a safe and secure location.”
Parents were notified through the district’s all-call system, Edwards said.
“Parents were allowed full access to students if they desired to sign them out,” he noted. CMS students who were not signed out “remained at Charleston Elementary the entire day.”
Charleston Fire Department, Tallahatchie County Emergency Management Agency and the Tallahatchie County Sheriff’s Office responded to CMS, blocking public access. Natural gas provider CenterPoint Energy sent workers.
Classes on the CMS campus resumed Wednesday morning.
IN THE PHOTO: Emergency responders stand near the entrance to the southwest corner of the Charleston Middle School campus while CenterPoint Energy workers investigate a natural gas leak. (Photo by Clay McFerrin)
