From staff reports
A local elementary school was evacuated Thursday afternoon after a foul odor caused concerns among school and district leadership, according to San Felipe Del Rio CISD press releases.
Students and staff from Ceniza Hills Elementary were then transported to the Del Rio Civic Center, where parents were able to pick up students.
According to Dr. Carlos H. Rios, San Felipe Del Rio CISD superintendent, it was the only time during his 13-year tenure that a school had been evacuated and students reunited with their parents at another location.
The event also involved law enforcement officers from the district, the City of Del Rio and the Val Verde County Sheriff’s Office working
together to help ensure the event went as smoothly as possible.
“We are appreciative of the patience of all the parents and support of all the law enforcement during the evacuation and reunification,” said Rios. “Also, thanks to all of our staff who worked together to ensure a safe and smooth evacuation and reunification.”
The district’s release said, “The safety of our students and staff remains our top priority.”
The remainder of the release is below:
Parents may continue to pick up students at the designated area. Please bring your driver’s license or proper identification.
All student bus routes from Ceniza Hills Elementary will continue to run as scheduled.
We appreciate everyone’s patience and cooperation as we continue working to ensure the safety of all students and staff.
Additional updates will be shared as information becomes available.
The district issued a third press release near 3:30 p.m. It read as follows:
San Felipe Del Rio CISD would like to thank all the parents for all the patience and kindness they displayed as they waited to be reunified with their students. We are extremely grateful to all local law enforcement, emergency personnel, district staff, administrators, teachers, and support staff for their quick response and assistance throughout today’s evacuation and reunification.
Contractors and district staff are working to correct a problem with our air conditioning system. We believe the strong odor eliminated from our AC units. We plan to have a normal school day tomorrow, but will make a final decision by 8 PM tonight.
Thank you for all your cooperation and understanding.
