LEAD, S.D. – Students in the Lead-Deadwood High School got an early start to the Christmas break.
School Superintendent Eric Person closed the high school this week after an incident last week in which a student brought elemental mercury into the building.
Person says the student had found the mercury in his home, and not realizing the danger mercury poses, brought it to school to show other students on December 12.
A teacher alerted authorities about the substance.
The student and mercury were removed and the school nurse began tracing students who may have had direct contact with the element.
Families and Poison Control, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency were also alerted.
Person says in the course of its investigation, the school district discovered that the mercury had been in and potentially contaminated more rooms that originally believed, leading to the closure of the school this week.
