Students at Popp’s Ferry Elementary School were able to have breakfast at their desks this morning while school officials repaired a gas leak discovered in the school cafeteria.

The cafeteria manager discovered the leak about an hour before breakfast was to be served to those students who eat breakfast at school, about half of the 450 students enrolled at the west Biloxi school.

Maintenance workers shut off the gas and detected the leak, and at breakfast time, students were steered to the school’s auditorium, where sack meals – juice, milk, cereal and plastic utensils – awaited them. By lunchtime, students were able to dine in the cafeteria, where they enjoyed turkey and ham sandwiches that cafeteria workers had prepared in a separate area of the kitchen.

“We have a plan ready to go in the event that we lose electricity or gas,” said assistant principal Jamie Wade. “Everything went very smoothly. Everyone got to class on time, and I’m happy to report that at breakfast there were no spills in the classrooms.”