Students were evacuated Tuesday after a fifth grader brought a vial of mercury to Lincoln Elementary School in Green Bay.
School officials have confirmed that students will resume classes on Thursday, December 8.
Lincoln Elementary School will be in session tomorrow, Dec. 8. Please visit our website for more information. https://t.co/WEG1pkwKgp
— greenbayschools (@greenbayschools) December 7, 2016
The incident happened Tuesday morning when a handful of fifth graders were discovered playing with the potentially toxic substance.
About 250 kids were forced outside into December weather Tuesday morning as the principle of Lincoln Elementary discovered that six fifth graders were playing with mercury brought from a student's home.
"The students opened up the vile, and they were moving it around," says Principal Angela Hager, "so some of it did get spilled in the school."
After about 20 minutes outside, all of the children were brought back into the cafeteria--with the exception of those fifth graders--into an area where the fire department had determined was mercury free.
"We just want everybody to go home safe today," says Nick Craig, of the Green Ba Metro Fire Department, "and it does take a little time to make sure that we do that correctly."
From about 11 am till nearly 4:30 pm, the kids were held in the cafeteria. No one could come in, and no one could go.
"No if's ands or buts about it," said grandmother Becky Haen, waiting outside for permission to take her granddaughter out of the school, "you are not taking your child."
"We don't want to go home, sit at home, and wait for good or bad news to come," says mother of students Julie Pocan. "We want to be here for our kids and if you look around we got parents everywhere."
A device that can detect mercury levels was used throughout the building and determined there was no significant threat. The same device was also used on the children's clothing before anyone was allowed to leave Tuesday evening.
"We want to make sure that the kids are safe," says Hager, "and that no one is tracking mercury back to their homes, and exposing their families, or anybody else to anything that's unsafe."
And while the amount of mercury exposed to this building was just three millimeters--less than a table spoon--it definitely put a scare into the parents of these kids.
Late Tuesday evening, school leaders released more information, saying the vial of mercury was also at Franklin Middle School.
The hazmat team determined there is not any danger at the school now.
School officials report that the students who were found playing with the vial of mercury will not face any disciplinary actions at this time.
