An “unusual odor” prompted an evacuation of Perry Hall Middle School Friday afternoon.

All students and staff are safe, a school official wrote in a letter to parents.

“As a precaution, we implemented the school’s evacuation procedures and notified Baltimore County Fire Department and emergency officials, who responded promptly to the school and are investigating the source of the odor,” the letter stated.

The school official said administrators became aware of the odor around 1 p.m. Fire department investigators did not allow students and staff to go back in the building, the letter said. Families were initially asked not to pick up students.

The fire department posted on X around 2:30 p.m. that students were in no immediate danger though parents shouldn’t come to campus. The following hour, the department stated that no children were injured, and those who experienced symptoms were cleared by EMS.

A spokesperson for the school system said dismissal was not delayed.

Captain Len Stewart, a public information officer for the fire department, said shortly before 4 p.m. that units were clearing the scene.

The investigation is still underway, he said, and staff still at the building were allowed to get their stuff.

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