An issue in a Mattawa school's mechanical room has forced the school to close its doors on Monday.
"On Sunday an issue in the St. Victor Catholic Elementary School’s mechanical room was identified," the Nipssing-Parry Sound District School Board stated in a release.
"Although the issue was investigated and appropriately resolved by 3 p.m. yesterday afternoon, an odour lingered within the school.
"To address the lingering odour, the mechanical ventilation system was set to operate at maximum capacity and portable air purifiers were put in place for the remainder of the day and overnight. It was anticipated that the odour would have dissipated fully by morning with these measures in place, however, the odour remains."
That led the school and the Board "out of an abundance of caution" to close the school for the safety of students and staff.
"This measure should provide additional time to ensure the odour dissipates completely," the release continued.
Students who may arrive at the school this morning will be supervised outside and/or at our emergency evacuation site at the Mattawa General Hospital, and parents will be contacted to pick up their child.
"We will continue to update the public and the school community as the situation progresses and to confirm the re-opening of St. Victor School on Tuesday, April 30," the Board stated in a release.
"We extend our appreciation to you for your support and understanding. We encourage media members to share the official statement from the Nipissing-Parry Sound Catholic District School Board's website, as well as St. Victor School's Facebook page."
