LOS ANGELES – Nearly 1,900 students will be moved from schools near a Los Angeles gas leak that has sparked hundreds of illness complaints and evacuations.
The LA school board declared an emergency Thursday and authorized relocating students from Porter Ranch Community School and Castlebay Lane Charter school.
The move begins after winter break and could last until June.
A staff report cited disruption from absenteeism, visits to the health office and student transfers to other schools.
The leak in an underground well was detected in October. It's sending huge amounts of methane into the air, tinged with a foul-smelling chemical.
Southern California Gas Co. says it supports the relocation and is sorry some students and staff had what it calls short-term symptoms from the odor. It says health agencies haven't found any long-term risk.
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