Rockdale County Public Schools announce plan for returning students next week
ROCKDALE COUNTY, Ga. - Rockdale County Public Schools has announced its plans for students who were scheduled to return to class after fall break next week.
RCPS says it will implement Independent Learning Days, conducted virtually, from OCt. 7 to Oct. 9, as the district continues to monitor the environmental impact of the BioLab fire cleanup.
Although officials have indicated that the air quality is not likely to pose harm to most individuals, there is a possibility that some people may be affected by the chemical plume if they are directly in its path. With changing wind directions and weather conditions making it difficult to predict the plume's movement, RCPS is taking precautionary measures to ensure student and staff safety.
"Out of an abundance of caution, we have decided to close our buildings and shift to virtual learning," the district said in a statement. All school and district activities will be rescheduled, and the timeline for completing the cleanup remains uncertain.
RCPS says it is hopeful that normal operations can resume later in the week and will continue to closely monitor the situation as cleanup efforts progress.
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BioLab caught fire around 5 a.m. last Sunday. Even though the fire was extinguished that day, a massive plume of smoke containing chemicals has been coming from the site ever since. Air quality testing has detected varying amounts of chlorine in the smoke.
The fire initially resulted in the evacuation of thousands of residents in the surrounding area and a shelter-in-place order for other residents of Rockdale County.
Residents were eventually allowed to return home and the shelter-in-place order was partially lifted. At this time, it is only in effect between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. although officials suggest that anyone who is sensitive to stay inside if they notice a heavy smell of chlorine in the air and they are concerned.
At this time, it is unknown how long it will take to completely clean up the site.