GAS LEAK IN SCIENCE ROOM DELAYS OPENING OF YORK SCHOOL

Aug 21, 2023

A natural gas leak in a Grafton High School science lab kept the school's 1,200 students out of class Monday morning for about one hour, according to school officials.

Some students and teachers complained later in the day about feeling ill from gas fumes and went home early.

School employees discovered the leak about 7 a.m. in an upstairs science laboratory. Students arriving for the start of the school day at 7:20 a.m. were moved to the school gym.

Fire officials allowed students to enter their classrooms about 8:30 a.m. The science lab that was the source of the leak did not reopen until 12:30 p.m., said schools spokeswoman Betsy Overkamp- Smith.

Overkamp-Smith said two teachers, one of whom was pregnant, went home early Monday because of the fumes.

Sophomore student Michael Newsom said he went home about 9:45 a.m. with an upset stomach he believes was caused by the fumes.

"You could smell it real bad in some areas," he said.

Newsom estimated another eight to 10 students were tended to in the nurse's office while he waited for his parents. School officials reported a higher than usual absentee rate but could not say for certain late Monday afternoon how many students may have gone home because of the leak.

Grafton's principals decided to hold classes because fire officials said there was no danger to students and little class time had been lost, Overkamp-Smith said.

York County fire officials referred questions to Overkamp-Smith.

Parent Michael Smith, whose son is a junior at Grafton, said he took his son home about 10:30 a.m. because of the gas odor. He estimated up to 30 parents were at the school at that time to pick up students.

"I don't think they should have been going to school," Smith said. "There's no question about it."

Here's how school officials say the leak occurred:

Two valves at the teacher's desk in the science lab control the flow of gas to the nozzles at student tables. If the valves are closed, gas will not flow to the student tables.

A valve underneath the teacher's desk was not fully closed. School officials believe the valve was bumped and accidentally turned on sometime Friday.

The other valve on top of the teacher's desk was turned off. But the valve was loose and did not seal properly, allowing gas to seep through it.

Because the two valves were on, gas flowed to the nozzles at the student tables. One of those nozzles was on, which allowed the gas to spread throughout the room during the weekend.

Maintenance workers tightened the valve on top of the teacher's desk to keep it from leaking. To prevent similar accidents in the future, school officials will padlock the valves underneath the teacher's desk in all science laboratories.

Fred Carroll can be reached at 247-4756 or by e-mail at [email protected]

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