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GRANTSVILLE -- A powder that caused officials to lock down two Calhoun County schools Thursday was determined not to be harmful, officials said.
"We appreciate your understanding today as we took precautionary measures to work through an incident that took place on the buses this morning," Superintendent Kelli Whytsell said in a statement released by the school district. "The safety of our students is our primary concern. At a conference call today at 2:00 (p.m.), several state and local agencies have stated that the incident is no longer a creditable threat."
A student riding a school bus Thursday morning was in possession of a balloon that popped, according to a post on the Calhoun County Schools Facebook page.
"Some of the powder was transferred to students on the bus," the post said.
As a precaution, five students from one school and one student from another were taken to Minnie Hamilton Health System and placed under quarantine, Whytsell said. She did not specify which schools the students attended.
Dr. Elizabeth Scharman, director of the poison control center for West Virginia, said the balloon-like object was sent to the analytic section within the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
"The one positive test was for something you would expect to be on the floor of the bus or in the trash can where the balloon was put," Scharman said.
The student was playing with the object, believed to be either a balloon or a condom, Scharman said.
"The concern was that there was something placed on top of the balloon; those tests are negative," Scharman said.
Aside from the test results coming back as negative, the nature of the substance itself was not revealed.
According to Eric Walker, executive director for the Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department, students were released Thursday afternoon from the quarantine once the powder tested negative for harmful effects.
Walker said the powder was likely a residue from the balloon and the amount of powder was unknown.
The principal at Pleasant Hill Elementary School in Grantsville was notified of the incident at 8:10 a.m., Whytsell said via email.
The district initially posted on Facebook that there were "no safety concerns for other students and staff."
But about an hour later, the district announced that the West Virginia Health Department and Minnie Hamilton "have recommended Calhoun County Schools allow no one to enter or exit Pleasant Hill Elementary School or Calhoun Middle High School until further notice." The action was described as a precautionary measure.
It was initially believed only students from Pleasant Hill were affected, but after administrators spoke with students, it was determined that Calhoun Middle/High School was also affected, Whytsell said via email.
Whytsell said officials were still awaiting test results to determine what the substance was. In a statement, she said a Poison Control doctor on the afternoon conference call said "it is not expected to cause any delayed effects."
The statement, which was sent out to parents and employees via phone, said parents with concerns should contact Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222.
Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com.
Candice Black can be reached at cblack@newsandsentinel.com.