Carbon Monoxide Leak Closes DISD Elementary School For 2nd Day

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – – Weather aside, it's unclear when some Dallas elementary students will get back to class.

DISD thought a carbon monoxide problem inside Lakewood Elementary was fixed, only to find out this morning, the boiler room was filling with the dangerous gas once again.

An air quality test aroung 6:30 a.m. registered zero levels of carbon monoxide, but when the boiler fired up 30 minutes later, levels began to rise in the boiler room.

A contractor was on site Wednesday, working to repair the machinery. A district spokesperson says the dead owl that clogged the flue caused CO to back up in the boiler, causing it to burn out and fail.

DISD has to make sure there is zero trace of carbon monoxide in the building before any students and teachers can return. The district is still testing that as of Wednesday night.

As soon as the doors reopen, some parents plan to walk in, to take steps to make sure this doesn't happen again.

The Lakewood Dads fundraising group, Friends of Lakewood, is stepping in to put a CO detector in every room inside the school .

"This is what we're going with because this is what's available and it's an immediate need," said the group's president Russ McMillan.

Last night, the group purchased 60 CO detectors. Right now, Lakewood Elementary, like many schools in Texas has no detectors.

"I was extremely shocked that it wasn't a requirement on all campuses and all structures," said McMillian, a father of two students at Lakewood.

DISD now says it will install one, in the boiler room once the repairs are fixed.

But with students spending five days a week in an aging school house, peace of mind for McMillian means a detection device in every room.

"If they want to provide opposition to what we're doing then, Hey I hate to sound adversarial, but bring it on because my child is not coming back to school here without these CO detectors in place. And I'm sure many other parents feel exactly the same way," he said.

DISD says the monitor they want to install will be professional grade , and tied to the alarm system. They're considering it for other schools in the district as well.

Meanwhile, the Friends of Lakewood plan to proceed with their proposal for monitors in every room.

DISD will also hold a parent meeting to talk about the CO issue, once school reopens.