The Laurel Plains Elementary School was evacuated yesterday morning due to overwhelming odors coming from the sewer system.

Around 10:30 a.m., 450 students and faculty members were relocated to Clarkstown South High School while air quality tests were conducted. The tests revealed no health concerns, but the Department of Health was contacted for guidance.

Superintendent Dr. Margaret Keller-Cogan says that the school has tried flushing the sewer system twice and will now have an independent inspector check whether a tree root might have penetrated the piping system, creating a sewage backup. Students were supervised by their teachers and teaching assistants for the remainder of the day in the high school auditorium, while their parents received phone and e-mail alerts about the evacuation. No one was seriously ill. The school reopened this morning.