A malfunctioning air handler sent smoke into four classrooms at Crown Point Elementary School on Thursday, Aug. 20, forcing the evacuation of students and staff to nearby Mandarin Middle School.

No one was injured.

The incident began shortly after 7 a.m. and disrupted the morning routine for families at the roughly 700-student school on Crown Point Road, triggering a multi-agency response involving the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, Jacksonville Fire Rescue Department and school police.

"It was a faulty motor of an air handler that created smoke that went into four of the classrooms," DCPS chief communications officer Tatyana Wimberly said at a media conference Thursday, correcting an earlier district statement that called it a fire.

About 20 students had already been dropped off when the smoke was detected, according to Wimberly. Those children were relocated to Mandarin Middle School. Another 120 students whose buses were en route were rerouted there as well, Deputy Superintendent Corey Wright said.

JSO closed roads leading to Crown Point Elementary during the response, Action News Jax reported.

Parents and guardians were allowed to begin picking up children at 9:45 a.m. at Mandarin Middle School, entering through the side entrance by the bus loop, according to the district. DCPS asked families to use the PikMyKid app for the reunification process.

What comes next

DCPS said it hired an independent contractor to inspect Crown Point Elementary before students return, according to News4JAX. The district has not announced a date for students to return to campus.

The incident also spotlighted broader maintenance concerns. Wimberly said the district is working to replace AC units at multiple schools, blaming extreme heat and deferred maintenance for ongoing problems. The district's chief operating officer will meet with Crown Point families to outline long-term repair plans, though no date for that meeting has been set.

The investigation into the malfunction's cause remains ongoing, DCPS said.