COVINGTON, Va. – Since January, students at Covington Middle School have missed over a month of school due to a carbon monoxide leak from a school stove.
School officials said the situation was addressed, but after just two weeks back in the classroom, kids started to get sick again.
Complaints of headaches and similar odors to the previous gas leak led parents to take their children out of class.
“They’re not doing this to get out of school; they’re sick,” said parent Lynn Wolfe.
Now, Virginia attorney John Fishwick has filed a lawsuit with parents from the area to close down the middle school, stating the school is a health hazard and public nuisance.
“We have filed today for an injunction in Alleghany Circuit Court asking the judge there to close the school on a temporary basis until the end of the school year because the parents do not think it is safe,” Fishwick said.
The petition outlines the history of this situation, dating back to January and leading up to today.
On January 31, the school was evacuated due to an unknown odor. After six weeks of closure and the installation of carbon monoxide detectors, students returned to class on March 18.
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However, soon after, students began reporting feeling sick again with symptoms associated with overexposure to carbon monoxide, such as headaches and fatigue.
“They have serious symptoms: nausea, vomiting, tired all the time, and these are all middle school students,” Fishwick said.
Fishwick documented ten families that had their children retested for carbon monoxide poisoning, and all tested positive for high levels.
The lawsuit continues to state that students and parents are concerned about attending Covington Middle School and have received threats of truancy being filed against them if they do not go.
“They’ve been concerned that they could be charged criminally with truancy, and obviously, that’s a tremendous burden to put on a parent,” Fishwick said. “They are feeling a lot of pressure to return their children to the school, but at the same time, they have great hesitation knowing what the risks are to them on a health basis.”
Leaders with Alleghany Highlands Public Schools said they have not been informed about the injunction.
The Virginia Department of Education also refused to comment but remains prepared to assist Alleghany Highlands Public Schools in addressing the ongoing issue.
A hearing for the lawsuit has been scheduled for April 23 in Alleghany County.