High school officially mercury-free

Lake City High School is officially clean of mercury vapors, as confirmed by two independent tests, Principal John Brumley said Monday.

Students are back in classes this week after spring break and two extra days off before that, when the school was being evaluated and cleaned.

School officials learned March 20 that a sophomore had brought vials of a dental mixture containing mercury to school. They confirmed that report the next day, and school was closed March 23 and March 24 as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency tested for traces of the substance and treated nine contaminated classrooms.

Brumley made announcements on the school’s public address system to alleviate concerns and sent letters to parents explaining the incident.

The student who brought in the mercury has been suspended for five days. The superintendent will review Brumley’s report of the incident and decide whether further punishment is warranted.

Officials have said that the student’s intentions were not malicious and that he felt bad about what happened.

“It’s been a pretty powerful lesson of something that seems pretty innocent that turns into something traumatic,” Brumley said.

Students aren’t the only ones taking a lesson from this story.

An insurance agency representative will be meeting with the school’s science teachers to review safety issues, district business manager Steve Briggs said at a school board meeting Monday.

“We’re going to take this as an opportunity to refresh,” Briggs said.

The district’s insurance policy for pollution will cover most of the costs, Briggs said. The district also has liability insurance if needed.

A 12-foot-by-12-foot section of vinyl flooring was replaced in one classroom and the entire carpet in another classroom was replaced, Superintendent Harry Amend said.

Asked whether the student’s family will be asked to cover any costs, Amend said: “We have not had that conversation yet. We’ll wait and see what the insurance coverage outcome is.”

Some parents have criticized officials for the delay between confirming the existence of mercury and closing the school. Brumley said at the time that there was “no immediate risk.”

On Monday, Amend, Briggs and several school board members commended the coordinated response effort, which involved several agencies.

“Planning pays off,” Amend said. “We practice and rehearse this in the event something happens.”