ASCENSION PARISH - Sources with East Ascension High School say the school was evacuated early Thursday morning, around 8:55 a.m., when a gas leak was discovered.

The leak was the result of a broken pipe, which was quickly repaired. 

Around 10:30 a.m. Ascension Public Schools released a statement regarding the situation,

"This morning, a gas line that runs from the teachers’ lounge to an upstairs restroom broke and caused an odor that alerted us to a problem.
We immediately evacuated the building to ensure the safety of students and staff while emergency officials investigated the cause of the odor."

"Once it was determined to be isolated to certain buildings on campus, we were able to move everyone inside the Freshman Academy and the new cafetorium.
District staff were able to repair the broken pipe and are working with emergency officials to air out the building to reduce the natural gas odor."

"The campus is safe, and once residual odors are removed, we anticipate resuming normal operations at school."

"Thank you to everyone for remaining calm during the evacuation, and a special thank you goes out to the Gonzales Fire Department, Gonzales Police Department and all law enforcement officials for their quick action and support."

Sources say students began returning to class shortly after 9 a.m.