School classroom plagued by bad odor

Gibson Middle School students crying, "school stinks," are right.

School officials on Thursday bombed classroom 508 at Gibson with a room-deodorizing fog, the latest attempt to eradicate a mysterious odor.

The smell, which resembles a vomit-like odor, has plagued the room -- and two others to a lesser degree -- since last spring.

"It's not a health issue," said district spokesman Ray Willis. "It's just a nuisance."

Classes have not been held in the empty room this school year, which began last month.

"The kids can't take it," custodian Lizz Hill said.

The smell emerged at about the same time workers began a planned renovation in the room last spring, custodians say. Laborers installed a new drop ceiling, paint, carpeting and an air unit.

Since then, the walls have been repainted and the air ducts treated with a special shellac aimed at covering the smell, Hill said. Workers also removed all the drop ceiling tiles to check for the source. But the cause has yet to be determined.

"I think something just got in there during the construction and died," said custodian Frank Testo. "A lot of cats live up on the roof."

After deodorizing the room, district officials plan to continue their search for the odor's source. Willis said the mysterious odor problem has surfaced in schools before on occasion.

"It's not completely unusual," Willis said. "This one has been especially persistent. We're using every mechanism we can to eliminate the odor."

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