Evacuation of Academy building on 8-30-2023

Dear Central Academy students and families,

Earlier this afternoon, a strong odor was being noticed throughout our sister school, Central Campus.  Campus staff notified DMPS Public Safety and the Des Moines Fire Department.  Since Academy and Campus are connected, the Des Moines Fire Department recommended evacuating the entire complex.   Around 1:50 we began evacuation of Central Campus and Central Academy.

The fire department was quickly on the scene and, after a thorough inspection, found the smell resulted from plumbing work being done in the lower area of the Campus building. They gave the all-clear at around 2:15 and we returned to the building and dismissed at our normal times.

Students did an excellent job of evacuating the building and staying together.  We did not want students to leave the site because police and fire blocked off Grand Ave during the evacuation.

While there turned out to no health or safety risk, we are going to err on the side of caution when it comes to the health and well-being of our students and staff. We are grateful for the help and support of DMFD and our public safety team at DMPS.