Rockdale County Public Schools is extending its remote learning another week due to safety concerns over last month’s fire at the destroyed chemical plant in Conyers.
In a statement, Rockdale Superintendent Terry Oatts said the decision was made early to give families and staff time to adequately plan for the extended virtual classes. Students had been scheduled to learn virtually Monday through Wednesday. That will now run through Oct. 18.
“School-based support staff and central office staff will also continue to work remotely,” Oatts said. “Our buildings will remain closed, and district and school activities will be rescheduled.”
The announcement was made one day after the nightly shelter-in-place advisory was lifted for much of the county, outside of a 2-mile radius surrounding the BioLab plant, which caught on fire Sept. 29.
After the blaze, Rockdale Board of Commissioners Chairman Oz Nesbitt said the roof and walls of the plant collapsed, which has led to a tedious cleanup effort. He said crews have to get rid of the debris before they can safely remove the hazardous chemicals.
About half of the county’s schools are in that 2-mile radius from the plant, where a plume of smoke has continuously risen as the pool chemicals produced there reacted with water used to contain the blaze. Oatts said they were forced to take extra steps to keep students and the community safe.
“These precautions include extending our virtual learning to allow more time for interagency consultation and cleanup efforts at the site,” school officials said.
With no timetable given as to when the ongoing situation will be resolved, frustrated residents and business owners spoke out during a board of commissioners meeting Tuesday morning. There were repeated shouts for BioLab to be shuttered, and many asked for better communication.
“I’m angry, I’m confused. BioLab needs to go,” one woman said.
No one from BioLab spoke during the meeting or at a news conference Monday night discussing the shelter-in-place order changes, though the company has been providing updates on its recently launched website.
BioLab was also working to remove debris across the county and set up a call center Tuesday that will be open 24 hours a day. Residents and local businesses can call 678-301-2359 to speak with a representative about their issues.
A sea of phones lit up during that meeting after attendees were given that number. While some issues were reported with the call center Tuesday morning, including being put on hold or transferred to another number, the system appeared to improve by the time the board meeting concluded.
The fire originally ignited after a malfunctioning sprinkler mixed with the material at the plant, identified as pool shock, which is used to sanitize pools. At the meeting, some people questioned why water was used originally on the fire, but Rockdale County fire Chief Marian McDaniel said there was risk of explosion, so they needed to flood it with copious amounts of water.
School officials said they acknowledged the fluid situation from the plant has forced officials to refrain from providing a definitive timeline for the cleanup. Last week, students were on fall break.
“We understand that this is not necessarily ideal for our students, staff and families, but we must prioritize the health and wellbeing of our students and staff above all else,” Oatts added.
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