Students return after unscheduled two-day break

Students were back in school Thursday after a smoking electrical panel gave them a near two-day break last week.

It all happened on Tuesday at about 9:20 a.m. when a malfunction of the main circuit electrical panel in the school kitchen prompted officials to evacuate the building.

The school district had the opportunity to practice its evacuation plan, which Superintendent Dennis Carlson said worked quite well.

Students were led to a predetermined place outside the building and then, because it was cold outside, taken to the high school gym.

There they awaited the arrival of parents and school buses to take them home.

About 700 students got the break, and the staff had an opportunity to practice its emergency plan, which had a “walk through” on paper previous to the event.

“We have done a few things to sharpen up the plan, but it worked quite well,” Carlson said.

He had met with elementary school personnel Wednesday to go over how the plan worked and, he said, “tweaked the plan a bit.”

Mills Electric, the electrical contractor for the building, was on the site the same day and everything was working and back in place Thursday.

No injuries were reported, and students were orderly.

Carlson said the electrical circuit board was under warranty, and that it hasn’t been determined what caused the problem.

“We expect to discuss this at our next construction meeting,” Carlson stated.