Smoke scare leads to evacuation of Patterson June High

Patterson Junior High School was evacuated for about 15 to 20 minutes this morning after smoke was discovered in the gym, but students were able to return safely to their classrooms before the day's testing began, St. Mary Parish Assistant Superintendent of Schools Teresa Bagwell said.
At about 7:50 a.m. today, a fire alarm went off at Patterson Junior High School, Bagwell said. "There was smoke in the gym area," Bagwell said. As of this morning, officials believed that the smoke came from a belt in the air conditioning motor in the gym, Bagwell said.
The Patterson Volunteer Fire Department responded and students were evacuated safely, Bagwell said.
"Fortunately, testing had not yet started. The kids were still in home room," Bagwell said. "There was no violation of testing security at all."
Students are going through Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, or PARCC testing, this week.
Students reentered the building by about 8:05 a.m. to 8:10 a.m. and testing began at about 8:30 a.m., she said.
This story was writen by Zachary Fitzgerald of The Daily Review staff. Reach im at zfitzgerald@daily-review.com