COLUMBUS (WCMH) – Johnson Park Middle School in Columbus will be closed Thursday after some students were exposed to mercury from a broken thermometer.

The thermometer broke during an 8th-grade class midday Wednesday.

Mercury got on the skin and clothes of one teacher and as many as 40 students, but nobody has reported becoming sick. The school is continuing to check on families who may be affected.

The district isn’t sure if the thermometer was brought in by a student or if it was an older one from the school.

According to a district spokesperson, the school will be closed Thursday so that it can be cleaned. The school is also closed Friday for spring break.