Clark students to be relocated to alternate schools Monday

HARTFORDThe John C. Clark, Jr. Elementary & Middle School in Hartford will remain closed for the rest of the week due to the discovery of chemicals in the new sprinkler system.

As of Monday, Jan. 12, the students will be relocated to alternate school sites as officials conduct further testing.

The school was closed on Wednesday, the first day back from winter break.

The school says this is in an abundance of caution as facility maintenance issues are resolved. Low levels of PCBs were found in the air before winter break and in tests since. PCBs are polychlorinated biphenyls, which are industrial chemicals that the EPA considers a potential carcinogen.

The sprinkler system was tested, causing concerns for the air quality.

A meeting will be held tomorrowin the Salvation Army Offices at 100 Nelson Street so parents and families can have any questions answered.

Here is the full statement from the Superintendents office.

As of Monday, January 12, 2015, the students and staff of Clark Elementary School at 75 Clark Street will be relocated to alternate school sites as we conduct further testing to determine the source of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the air.

There was no requirement or directive from any regulatory agency to evacuate the building. Given that the testing process involves contractors working at various locations around the school, we believe that this would have been disruptive to the educational setting. As such, we made the determination that it was in the best interest of students and staff, with an abundance of caution, to temporarily relocate to alternate school sites. We made this determination as soon as we received the air quality results.

New School Sites

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Clark students to be relocated to alternate schools Monday