More Concerns Over Possible Gas Leak at South Oak Cliff High School

Parents are raising concerns about a gas leak at South Oak Cliff High School, again.

Students walked out of South Oak Cliff last year, in protest of conditions inside the school, including concerns over gas leaks then.

Then someone smelled gas again after school on Tuesday and anyone left in the building was evacuated.

Atmos Energy came to check it out on Tuesday and they tell NBC 5, the school's system failed a routine test to show if the natural gas pipes were holding pressure. So Atmos turned off the gas.

That meant no cooking at school on Wednesday. Kids ate pre-prepared breakfast and lunch.

Then Atmos came back to the school to restore gas on Wednesday and found that the system had been fixed.

But in a strange twist, there are reports more students smelled gas on Wednesday, even while it was turned off. Kids were briefly evacuated Wednesday, but a district spokesperson says that was for a scheduled fire drill, not for gas.

To frustrated parents, it's all another sign of deep-rooted problems in the 65-year-old school that they want replaced.

"Most kids ask for ‘Jordans,’ a Play Station, cell phones. These kids are asking for a new school,” said South Oak Cliff H.S. parent Pastor Maxie Johnson. “So they understand that education is important and they're tired of the distraction and this building is a distraction. It's the third day of school. We should be focusing on education, not the kids going in and out of the building because of the deplorable conditions at South Oak Cliff High School."

South Oak Cliff HS is slated for $40 million in repairs and that's up from an originally planned $13 million.

A district spokesperson says the board increased the budget in response to student and parent complaints. The district also says they are in ongoing meetings with stakeholders in the community.

It’s unclear exactly when the repairs will start and what they will entail. It could be a full gut of the school.