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Daily DigestMercury Spill
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Conte Middle School Remains Closed for Mercury CleanupStaff reports - December 01, 2008
iBerkshires
NORTH ADAMS Mass. — Conte Middle School will be closed Tuesday as authorities continue cleaning up a mercury spill that occurred early Monday on the building's first floor.
The school was evacuated around 10:30 a.m. after the school nurse discovered what she believed was mercury on the first-floor corridor.
On Monday evening, parents dropped off clothing that may have been contaminated when their children stepped near in the spill. Some 20 children may have been exposed; their parents were contacted after school officials checked cameras to see who might have been near the spill.
The clothing collection, like the evacuation, was standard procedure, said officials, based on state procedures.
"Nobody was in danger or at risk," said Superintendent James Montepare on Monday evening. "We're not really concerned that there's going to be a health hazard ... in order for something bad to happen, you would have to be exposed for a long period time, over an extended period of time."
But, he said, "we're covering all the bases."
The spill was discovered and cleaned up in a matter of a few hours, said the superintendent, and the children's exposure was limited.
Public Commissioner E. John Morocco said how and why the spill happened was being investigated.
He said the evacuation had gone extremely well, with the youngsters out of the school and on the buses within an hour.
Noting it was the third recent mercury incident, Morocco said "We're getting pretty good at this."
Morocco and Montepare said safety was an important issue and officials were prepared for incidents such as Monday's.
"The Police Department, Fire Department and School Department work well together, not just on this but on everything," said Morocco.
The Berkshire County hazardous waste team was called to the scene, along with local emergency responders and health officials; the state Departments of Public Health and Environmental Protection were also called. A private contractor was ensuring the building was ensuring the building was cleaned.
Conte is expected to reopen on Wednesday.
Original story posted at 12:58 p.m., Dec. 1, 2008
Hoosac Valley, Conte Schools Close Early
A water main break at Hoosac Valley High School in Adams and a possible mercury spill at Conte Middle School in North Adams forced both schools to close on Monday.
"There was a small, what we believe to be a mercury spill in the first-floor corridor of Conte Middle School," said North Adams Public Safety Commissioner E. John Morocco. "As a precaution we evacuated the school."
Conte was evacuated at about 10:30 a.m., shorty after the possible spill was discovered and the children taken to 1st Congregational Church down the street and the school dismissed from there. Monument Square was closed off so buses could pick up the middle schoolers from the church.
Morocco said it wasn't clear that it was a mercury spill — "it appears to be mercury" — but it was decided to remove the children "with expediency" from the building as a precaution. The evacuation went well, he said, noting that the city schools have practiced for such incidents.
The Berkshire County hazardous waste team had been called to determine exactly what the spill was but had not yet arrived. Morocco said he had also informed the state Departments of Environmental Protection and Public Health.
The city's Fire Department, police and building and health officials and North Adams Ambulance responded to the school.
Conte will be closed the rest of the day. Officials could not say if it would open on Tuesday.
This is the third mercury incident that the city has had to deal with in as many months: A broken mercury thermometer closed Sullivan Elementary School on Oct. 22 and leaks in two mercury switches in City Hall's rooftop heating system closed that building on Sept. 24.
At Hoosac Valley, a water main break on Sunday gave students a five-day holiday. Principal Henry Duval said the break was found by a custodian on Sunday and couldn't be fixed in time for school to open on Monday morning.
The break has already been repaired and won't stop this afternoon's activities. "This is the first day of winter sports and the time trials will go on," said Duval.
And while students got an extra day off for the Thanksgiving weekend, "they'll have to come back and make it up in the summer," he said. "Just like a snow day."
A water main break closed Drury High School in North Adams on Nov. 24. |
| All of the students that had cell phones should NOT have had them taken away.....common. It is important for children to get ahold of their parents, don't you think. They should have just minded their own business and let the kids have their cell phones | | from: yo mama | on: 12-05-2008 |
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| People were getting cell phones taken away right in front of my eyes.We should get to use our cell phones if it is a appropriate timing.Also this is about the school not cel phones.we should be worrying about the safety hazzards.Could something be going on with my child exc. I mean come on people. | | from: student | on: 12-05-2008 |
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| it's very funny to see that most of the kids at conte are more worried about using a cell phone then the actual situation at hand. everyone was brought and i feel the schools did a good job. as for mentioning why you were in lockdown, they did the right thing by not creating a panic. when ever you are in a lock down, do you hear the person say" stay in your room, there is a killer in the halls??" no, not at all. the ordeal is done and over with, lets just focus on punishing the little punk who created this fiasco | | from: outsider | on: 12-05-2008 |
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| AND I agree with Spell Check. Ya'll need to learn how to proof read before you hit the send/submit button. | | from: Outsider | on: 12-05-2008 |
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| From a different perspective-As the grandparent of a former Conte student (Now at Wahconah) and just reading of this incident this morning as I sit in Waukeegan IL I'd like to throw in my $.05's worth. RE:Cell phones-I agree with most of the students who say that once everyone was secured from danger they should have been allowed to call family to arange for rides or to just inform that they were safe. As for the schools response, Maybe a little over done but they have proceedures written in stone and maybe they need to be reviewed and revised a little. As for the incident being bogus I beg to differ and would ask anyone to research an incident in Westfield MA in the fall of 1979. It will speak for itself. | | from: Outsider | on: 12-05-2008 |
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| I agree with Jessica. We should have been allowed to use our cell phones to contact our parents. I think it was BS that we couldn't use them. In an emergency we should...yeah i agree we should be allowed to for any other reason during school meaning class time. But in between classes I think we should be allowed to use our phones as long as we are to class on time. And for all of you people who disagree then sometimes wrong with you in my opinion. And this mercury spill is BOGUZ!! | | from: a student | on: 12-04-2008 |
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| i am a conte middle school student.I belive that it could of been handled better.when the substice had been found we got a call on the speaker telling the kids that there was a lockdown.You could of told us that a substice had been found on the floor and to stay in your room.Not to scare us out of our minds and only say there in a lockdown.I was scared out of my mind.I was thinking is someone in the school a murderer or something really harmfull in the school.Would i still be alive after this.You handled it well but you could of handled it better. | | from: kyra hayes | on: 12-04-2008 |
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| Cel fones shood b able 2 b in skool cause kids do use proper english wen they use dem.The cell fone rule shood be obbandoned | | from: Calros Ventura | on: 12-04-2008 |
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| All This Stuff Is Crazy..Also I Heard This Morning At 9:30 On December 4 I heard That "If The School Isnt ReOpened By Monday Then We Will Have To Switch Schools" If You Have AnyMore InforMation Im Me At babe2daboo31496 Or Send Me Email At Sararah01247@yahoo.com Thank You Have A Nice Day. | | from: SarahMarieTripodes=] | on: 12-04-2008 |
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Jessica...
Perhaps the cellphone rule could be done away with if more school aged children could spell better and use the propper verbage. Less time in the cyber/text world and more time in the books. PLEASE!!! | | from: Spell check | on: 12-03-2008 |
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| They handled the situation pretty well...they did not let us use our cellphones to tell our parents about what was going on. Some parents had to find out by driving past the school and seeing the fire trucks there. | | from: Person | on: 12-03-2008 |
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I Jessica S think the school should have let us use are sellphones,just in a case of in emergency,and i was wondering if there was school Thursday. Also the school new what was going on especially the teachers. I think they should of told us right away.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION
~jessica~ | | from: Jessica Stojda | on: 12-02-2008 |
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As a Conte Student, I believe the situation was held quite well. Though I do believe changes do need to be made. First of all no one told the students what had happened. But several different rumors were going around; one was that it had been a mercury spill. I didn't find out what indeed had happened until I had saw it on the website later that NIGHT! Everyone was loud and in panic at the thought of what could be happening while evacuating. This is just a thought, also why is school canceled tomorrow to if the spill was cleaned up fairly quickly?
| | from: Conte Student | on: 12-02-2008 |
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| One problem ihad was that we could not use cell phones to tell our parents what was going on.I understand that the school was worried about even more stress from parents calling and trying to figure out what was going on because at that point most kids had no idea.I thought that to resolve the problem the teachers could call childrens parents to explain what was going on and keep down a level of stress and unwanted rumors.If we ever have an emergency again it might be more helpful and less stressful to talk to parents about what really happened. | | from: Student/amarceau | on: 12-02-2008 |
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| As a parent myself, I truely understand the need to know that my child is safe at school. However, did anyone stop and think that there was no EMERGENCY necessary of us, as parents, intervening in. The city's emergency services handled things appropriately and without injury that anyone's aware of. The reason for a "no phone" policy is to avoid creating mass hysteria through children with only half of the story or pre-recorded notifications to parents without any follow-up information. I think the whole situation was handled very nicely. My thanks to the Fire, Police and Ambulance and I hope all involved are well. | | from: Yolanda | on: 12-01-2008 |
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| Yes I agree, I was not notified other than my Daughter sneaking her friends Cell to call me to say she needs a ride,Her Cell battery was dead at the time. So in an emergency situation when the children have to be evacuated I ask why are children not allowed to use there Cells to notify parents? I agree with the Cell phone policy however do not agree with not letting the kids harmlessly use cells in this situation after they are all safe and sound in a secure location. | | from: Mike | on: 12-01-2008 |
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| Why wasn't this put on WUPE radio and all the local tv channels(6,10,13)? If ever there were a reason to use the all-call to parents - this was it! To find out, by driving past Conte going to Main Street, that my kids' school has closed down from an emergency? This was not handled as efficiently as it could have been. I hope they let us know soon whether or not school is opening tomorrow. | | from: another concerned parent | on: 12-01-2008 |
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| | from: Conte Student | on: 12-01-2008 |
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| Thank you for your story. I receievd a brief text from my daughter saying they were being evacuated. I called her cell and she said "They won't let us use phones, we're being evacuated" and hung up, I could only hear comotion in the background. I didn't know whay or what had happened and return calls to her cell went straight to voice mail (Phone was obviously off)The school adopted an emergency phone recording system several years ago and over used it with basic reminders. The system allowed a message to go out to all parents. I do not understand why this was not used today. Drury closed with a water main break a week ago and had a notice immediately on their website notifying parents of the situation - Conte also did not do this. I tried channel 10 news which the school says to check for closings - no story or ticker tape message there. If it were not for the story here, parents would have been left without any information. I am glad the school acted quickly and got the students out, but notification needs to be part of that process for safety reasons. | | from: a Conte Parent | on: 12-01-2008 |
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