Two students were taken to the hospital as a precaution for exposure to the cold after a pipe burst at Tolland High School, prompting an evacuation of the school's 900 students and staff.
When the school was evacuated Friday morning, some students were bused to Tolland Middle School, but others walked to the middle school in single-digit temperatures.
Supt. Walter Willett said emergency officials had cleared the area and wanted to minimize traffic in and out of the school, so students who had driven to school were prohibited from getting their cars.
"I've never been that cold. My thumbs were numb. Everything was numb," said high school student Brianna Keane.
Classmate Lindsay Benoit said "a lot of people were screaming" as they made the trek, many without coats, to the middle school about half a mile down the road.
"It felt like forever," Keane said. "It was too cold, especially for the special needs kids, to have to walk."
Two students were hospitalized as a precaution for treatment of exposure and have since been released, according to Willett.
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Medical staff also responded to the middle school in case anyone needed attention. Once students arrived, they were given blankets and coats to warm up.
"There were lots of kids in the nurse's office that were being taken care of," said Amie Giguere, whose two daughters attend the high school.
Emergency officials initially believed the burst pipe caused an electrical fire but Willett said Friday afternoon the rupture just sent steam into the school.
The building sustained water damage, but authorities said classes are expected to resume Wednesday as scheduled.
As school officials weighed what to do about the school day, one challenge they faced was that several students had left their house keys in coats that were locked in school lockers and no one was allowed to access the school.
Students were set to return to the building and retrieve their belongings after it was cleared for re-entry.
