By Associated Press - Wednesday, December 21, 2016

CASPER, Wyo. (AP) - Officials say students won’t be able to return to their school in the small town of Midwest until next fall, more than a year after an oil well leak forced an evacuation and closure of the school.

The Casper Star-Tribune reports (https://bit.ly/2h8J0aI) the K-12 school has been closed since May 25 after testing showed unsafe levels of benzene and carbon dioxide. A state survey released last month says dozens of students and staff members reported experiencing headaches, coughing and sore throats, likely as a result of breathing in the gases.

About 150 students and their teachers in Midwest have been attending school 40 miles away in Casper.

They will remain in Casper until next fall while a gas mitigation system, alarms and monitoring systems get installed at the Midwest school.

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Information from: Casper (Wyo.) Star-Tribune, https://www.trib.com

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