Carbon Monoxide Leak at JW, by Stepan G.

No one expected the cold morning of Monday, October 28th to bring anything unusual. However, at 11:30 AM, the school’s carbon monoxide detector sounded which forced students to evacuate onto the upper field. 

The Montgomery County Fire Rescue Service quickly arrived and narrowed down the issue to a gas leak inside the boiler room. Meanwhile, students waited outside on the field until having an early dismissal at 1:45. Buses were called in as well as parents; all were safely brought home and no one was injured during the event.

Photo from Simone G.

The Rescue Service finished up and managed to bring carbon monoxide levels back to zero by the end of the day. An email was sent out declaring a normal school schedule the next day, and asking students to retrieve their belongings left in school during the evacuation. 

Photo from Samantha C.

Here are a few students’ comments regarding the gas leak and early dismissal that day:

What are your thoughts on the boiler room incident?

“I was happy to leave school and was excited about possibly getting off school for a few more days.” - Anonymous 8th Grader

“It was kind of scary knowing that carbon monoxide could leak at any time, as you can’t see or smell it. But it was also kind of nice to have school off.” - Anonymous 7th Grader

We also asked teachers to get their perspectives on the event:

What are your thoughts on the boiler room incident? How did you feel having to manage the situation?

“I felt relief that the system worked and everybody got out of the building. I felt frustration that there wasn’t faster communication. I was glad that nobody was hurt. I felt able to manage the situation but it would’ve been better to have faster communication, because I had nothing to tell my students.” - Mrs. Kun