Some students notice the odor of natural gas as they enter the building.
Senior Nadine Scott notices the smell in the hallways in the hallways on the second floor, at the end of the building near the gym, and comments on it as she enters her first period class in room 223. Students in her classroom open window to let the smell dissipate. A woman made an announcement over the public address system, calling the Safety Committee to the Main Office, ordering teachers to lock the doors to their classrooms and ordering proctors of the Maryland Functional Math Test, in progress at the time, to secure the test. Safety Committee members guided students in their evacuations. According to Safety Committee member Dina Seyoum, they did not yet know the reason for the evacuation.