Crieff Primary School remains closed today (Friday) – 24 hours on from 10 people being taken to hospital as a precaution following reports of a “potential chemical leak”.
Youngsters were among those evacuated as emergency service personnel – including Police Scotland officers, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and the Scottish Ambulance Service – were sent to the scene in the Perthshire town’s Broich Road at around 11.30am on Thursday.
In addition to those taken to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee following the incident, a number of other staff members also reported feeling unwell.
Perth and Kinross Council confirmed the school would remain closed as a “precautionary measure” on Friday, adding it was expected it would reopen as normal on Monday.
Praising the team at the school for how the situation was dealt with, one parent said: “The school staff were fantastic in dealing with the whole event.
“It was so well-organised and acted upon. Thank you to the whole team at Crieff Primary School for their calmness, and care during the evacuation.
“I heard about it but had no doubts my children were safe and well cared for throughout the ordeal.
“And the efficiency of contacting parents was very quick, as was the collection process.”
The council has said that there was no evidence of spillages or leaks contributing to people becoming ill at this stage, but also said that testing would continue.
A deep clean of the site is to take place this weekend.
Sheena Devlin, Perth and Kinross Council’s strategic lead for children and families, said: “The wellbeing of our children and our staff is our priority and so we have decided to keep the school closed on Friday as a precautionary measure.
“We understand the concern this incident will have caused but would like to reassure parents, carers and pupils that we are working closely with our partners in NHS Tayside and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to understand why some staff felt unwell.
“We will provide further updates once we have more information.
“Any members of staff or pupils feeling unwell should seek medical advice as they would usually do or contact NHS 24 on 111.”
On Thursday, a spokesperson for NHS Tayside said: “Ten adults attended the Emergency Department at Ninewells Hospital as a precaution.
“All have undergone clinical assessment and no one has any immediate medical concerns.
“The majority of patients have already been discharged after being seen.”
The same evening, a Police Scotland statement said: “Around 11.30am on Thursday, September 5, we were called to a report of a potential chemical leak within a school in Broich Road, Crieff.
“Emergency services are in attendance and the building has been evacuated as a precaution.
“A police cordon is in place and enquiries are ongoing.”
A spokesperson for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service added: “We were alerted at 11.26am on Thursday, September 5, to reports of a potential chemical leak at a school on Broich Road, Crieff.
“Operations Control mobilised one appliance and two specialist appliances to the scene.”