WHEELING – Wheeling Park High School was dismissed early on Friday after a strong smell of asphalt made its way into the school facility.

Friday night events at WPHS also have been canceled, noted Assistant Superintendent Rick Jones.

“With all the roofing work that was going on, the roofers laid down all their supplies behind the building,” he explained. “Then they had to lay new asphalt there, which is typical.”

The new asphalt, however, was poured earlier than expected, Jones explained.

“When they heated it up, the smell got really amplified. Then it got into the intakes and into the building,” he said. “We thought if we can save an hour of the kids not having to breathe this, we’re doing it.”

School was officially dismissed at noon, and students who drive themselves were permitted to leave.

Buses were called to the school, and students who remained were moved to the north end of the facility where the J.B.Chambers Performing Arts Center, cafeteria and gymnasium are located.

“The smell at the north end is not as bad, and we’re moving kids to that area to wait. Everybody is out of the smell.”

As of 12:30 p.m. buses were starting to make their way to the school, and Jones said the school was letting loaded buses leave immediately.

He expects the smell will be out of the building by the time classes resume Monday morning.

“We had no reports of sickness, but if we had stayed here much longer we might have had some dizziness reported,” Jones said. “We got the dampers shut ASAP. That kept it from being really potent, but really didn’t want to not have fresh air coming in to the building for that long of time.

“We’re just getting an early start on the weekend,” he added.