Smoke forces school evacuation

Update: 7:32 p.m.: Northern Lakes Fire Department officials are still investigating the source of the smoke that forced today's evacuation, but they have cleared the school so it can be opened for two hours Saturday, from 10 a.m. to noon so families can retrieve their children's belongings that were left behind when they had to leave the school.

Update 4:10 p.m.: All of the regular school bus routes that normally leave from Hayden Meadows Elementary School are leaving from the Kinder Center at this time.

Students whose parents have not picked them up at the Kinder Center will be going home on their normal bus routes.

Buses are running about 30 minutes behind schedule due to the evacuation.

The building will not be opened again this weekend. Any coats or personal belongings left behind when the school was evacuated will have to be retrieved on Monday.

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Students and staff at Hayden Meadows Elementary were evacuated from the building shortly before 2:30 p.m. Friday after smoke was detected in the school.

Buses were called to take the children from Hayden Meadows and transport them to the Hayden Kinder Center on Government Way.

Parents were advised to pick their kids up at the Kinder Center Friday, not at Hayden Meadows.

Firefighters were assessing the situation to determine the cause of the smoke.