Parents/guardians,
Canyon View Middle School will have remote learning days Monday and Tuesday while an independent group tests carbon monoxide detectors at the middle school. CO detectors are located in every classroom, hallway and public area at the school. That testing is scheduled to take place Tuesday morning. This is being done as a precautionary measure, along with other testing that has been completed over the last several days.
“We are going above and beyond what would normally be expected in this situation to ensure that students and staff are safe in our school,” said Superintendent Dr. Lance Hatch.
Administrators from the school will reach out separately to parents with details on the virtual day expectations, which includes Chromebook distribution and breakfast and lunch service.
At this point in time the building has been tested and cleared for occupancy six times by three different entities. That timeline of tests includes:
Testing by the Cedar City Fire Department Thursday, which occurred within 15 minutes of the carbon monoxide alarm going off in D Hall. Small amounts were detected in that area, which is adjacent to the remodeling project.
Friday morning, the fire department again tested the building as school began, which included testing in the kitchen as lunch was being prepared. Classrooms were occupied by students and heating and ventilation units were running. No dangerous levels were detected in any areas.
Following reports about another possible exposure on Friday afternoon, the fire department and Dominion Energy again tested the entire building, including heating systems, hot water heaters and kitchen appliances. The building was cleared for occupancy..
On Saturday evening, after reports about possible exposures during basketball games, the fire department again tested the building and found no traces of harmful gasses.
Today, the Utah National Guard’s 85th Civil Support Team was called to assist with the investigation of this incident. The 85th has a number of advanced capabilities to identify hazardous materials down to the parts per billion level. Fire department testers identify down to the parts per million level.
"Our job is to assist our local first responders in ensuring the public is safe. We have a robust complement of HAZMAT technicians and highly specialized equipment that is designed for situations just like this," said Lieutenant Colonel Rob Dent, commander of the 85th.
The 85th conducted three different tests over about a four-hour period. No traces of harmful gasses were found. Their equipment checks for over 150,000 particulates that could be considered harmful to humans.
Again, on Tuesday morning every carbon monoxide detector in the school building will be tested to ensure they continue to function properly. The testing will be conducted by an independent group.