COVINGTON, Ga. — The smell of gas led officials to order the evacuation of Clements Middle School this morning as students were entering the building for the day's classes.

Sherri Partee, director of public relations for Newton County Schools, said the building "was inspected by our facilities team and the Newton County Fire Department and it was determined the issue was with the HVAC system."

"We were then given the all-clear and students and staff returned to the building," Partee said.

She said the school system sent parents a notice that said she "wanted to make you aware of this situation and assure you that everyone is safe and the school is operating on its normal schedule."