This article, published at 1:20 p.m. on Oct. 28, 2024, was updated at 3:15 p.m. on Oct. 28, 2024, to include information from Assistant Principal Blair Pearce and the change of location of a Monday night county operating forum set to be held at the school. It was updated at 10:27 a.m. on Oct. 29, 2024, to add that the school reopened Tuesday.
Julius West Middle School in Rockville was evacuated Monday afternoon due to carbon monoxide levels setting off alarms within the school, according to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) Public Information Officer Pete Piringer.
Early dismissal was scheduled for 1:30 p.m. for bus riders and 1:45 p.m. for pickups and walkers, according to Montgomery County Public Schools spokesperson Liliana López.
Assistant Principal Blair Pearce wrote on X Monday afternoon that the school’s maintenance team was working to determine if the school would be ready for learning on Tuesday.
On Monday evening, López said the school would reopen Tuesday and the building’s boiler systems were now running safely.
In addition, the county executive’s office had scheduled a fiscal year 2026 operating budget forum at the school on Monday night. The forum will now be held virtually from 7 to 8:30 p.m., according to a county press release.
According to Piringer, at around 11:30 a.m. MCFRS crews responded to the school at 651 Great Falls Road for a carbon monoxide detector sounding its alarm.
Around 12:30 p.m. Piringer wrote on social media the school building had been evacuated and there would be early dismissal.
He said the carbon monoxide was likely due to a leak in the boiler room and that the MCFRS crews were ventilating the building.
No students or staff were injured or sickened by the carbon monoxide, Piringer said.
This article will be updated as more information becomes available.
Update – Julius West MS, @mcfrs monitoring CO, bldg evacuated, no injuries or illness, early dismissal being planned/organized pic.twitter.com/H7wSeVqwJQ
— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) October 28, 2024
