COVINGTON, Va. – Students at Covington Middle School missed over a month of school due to concerns about gas leaks this school year.
Now, parents and students are worried that the issues have not been resolved.
Two weeks after reopening, students at Covington Middle School reported an odor, causing some to relocate classrooms.
“They’re not saying anything, and that’s what’s getting parents. Why aren’t they saying anything?” said Lynn Wolfe, a concerned parent.
The most recent incident occurred on Monday, March 31.
In a statement from Alleghany Highlands Public School leaders, students reported smelling an odor consistent with the smell found previously this year on the third floor.
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The odor was investigated by school staff, police, and fire crews, who determined there was no need for action. The statement then indicated that students and teachers were given the option to relocate.
This led to parents coming to pick up their children on Monday, with many missing Tuesday’s school day.
“My son came home. My son has headaches, nosebleeds,” Wolfe said.
I spoke with several parents of students at the middle school, and they expressed a desire to know what is happening at the school to ensure their children are safe.
“We just want to know that our kids are going to be okay when we send them to school,” Wolfe said. “We can’t have the texts, the calls from them, and then that makes us look bad because we know we can’t go get them all the time because they are going to miss too many days.”
“Whether it’s somebody playing a prank or it’s actually a problem, they need to be more honest about it and make sure they let people know what’s going on,” said Shane Markham, a parent with a kid at the middle school.
10 News reached out to leaders with the school system, but they told us they did not have time to talk.