Barrows Elementary Reopens After Carbon Monoxide Scare

Barrows Elementary School students will return to school on Wednesday after they were evacuated due to high carbon monoxide readings on Tuesday afternoon.

Superintendent of Schools John Doherty told Patch that detectors began going off before noon on Tuesday to alert staff to the high levels. At that point, the Reading Fire Department was called to the scene.

"The Fire Department was concerned enough that they said we should evacuate," said Doherty. "I just want to commend the police, fire and Barrows staff for a great job."

After students were evacuated, they waited for the arrival of buses, which took them to nearby Austin Prep School.

Firefighters and school staff performed additional tests throughout the afternoon on Tuesday in order to track down the cause of the leak, and fix the situation in time for students to return to class as normally scheduled on Wednesday.

It was not known at publication time of this article where the leak originated, though school officials likely determined that on Tuesday after Doherty spoke with Patch.

Overall, Doherty said that he was impressed with everyone involved in what could have been a hectic scene if not handled properly.

"The staff did a great job of keeping the kids organized and calm until the buses arrived," said Doherty. "It was a fairly calm process."