In an unforeseen turn of events at Whitin Intermediate School in Uxbridge, a student suffered burns from a smoking laptop during an ELA MCAS exam, triggering a building evacuation and an abrupt halt to the school's standardized testing schedule.
The incident, which occurred at approximately 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, sent shockwaves through the school community as the device in question spontaneously began to emit smoke during a critical academic assessment, the staff responded promptly by activating the fire alarm and ushering out students and personnel, meanwhile the Fire Department swiftly arrived on scene to manage the situation and ventilate the premises, post-hazard evaluation, classrooms were deemed safe for reentry at around 10:45 a.m. but the MCAS exams for that day had been indefinitely postponed, according to a statement obtained by JOHN GUILFOIL PUBLIC RELATIONS LLC.
School officials, including Superintendent Michael Baldassarre and Whitin Intermediate School Principal Leanne Demarco, quickly advised families that the MCAS testing for grades 4-7 would be on hold pending a thorough investigation and a review of all technology used for state testing. The laptop supplier has been brought into the conversation to shed light on the malfunction and confirm the safety of other devices. Despite the incident, testing for grade 3 students proceeded as normal at the Taft Early Learning Center.
Superintendent Baldassarre emphasized the district's commitment to student safety, "The safety of our students is paramount and we will be taking the necessary steps to ensure that something like this does not occur in the future," and he extended gratitude towards the staff's rapid response and the Uxbridge Fire Department's handling of the event, meanwhile parents and students remain in a state of limbo as administration and tech officials devise a revised plan for safely resuming the tests, as relayed by JOHN GUILFOIL PUBLIC RELATIONS LLC.
