School closes after vandals dump fecal matter

Vandals befouled the suburban Chattanooga building with fecal waste this week, causing the school to close Wednesday. Classes resumed Thursday after the local health department inspected the cleanup.

Investigators are trying to determine how vandals got into the school and whether the excrement is human or animal.

Police Chief Larry Sneed said those responsible will be charged with felony vandalism.

“It’s throughout the whole building … it’s everywhere,” Sneed said. “It’s just really a mess.”

Hamilton County schools superintendent Jesse Register said crews worked all day to clean up.

“Essentially, they’ve washed down the whole school, all the lockers and everything,” said Register, who has a son at the school.

As students arrived Wednesday they were secured in a safe part of the building and dismissed gradually.

Libby Fulton, a 17-year-old senior, said she’ll be mindful of what she touches in the building.

“I think for the most part, everybody is really grossed out,” she said.