VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Students and staff at a Christian school in Virginia Beach have been relocated after a liquid mercury spill was found on the school’s floor last week.
Oaktree Academy said in a Facebook post Tuesday they decided to relocate its Upper Campus out of caution. A GoFundMe campaign started by Brandon Williams is seeking $130,000 to cover estimated losses by the spill.
According to the GoFundMe, a teacher prepping a classroom found the mercury “just shy of 24 hours” before an open house for its renovated upper campus — which housed students from 7th grade through 12th grade.
The mercury came out of the framing for a metal shelf that had not been moved in at least a decade. The building and everything inside were confined after the mercury was discovered, according to the GoFundMe.
The school will not be able to remove anything from inside the newly-renovated building “for the foreseeable future” because of the mercury’s gases.
This includes student desks, office furniture, whiteboards, televisions and the year’s curriculum, which the GoFundMe page says was recently moved into the school. The acamedy relocated the Upper Campus’ students and staff to a new location.
As of this story’s publishing, more than $6,500 has been donated on GoFundMe campaign. Anyone who wants to make a donation can do so at this link.