| By Ryan Quinn, Education Reporter Gazette-Mail
An alleged arson attempt at a Gilmer County elementary school has fed continuing disagreement between the county's state-appointed superintendent and some members of its locally elected school board.
Deputy State Fire Marshal Jason Baltic said investigators with the state fire marshal's office inspected an abandoned section of Normantown Elementary Aug. 21. Principal Faye Chambers said the school's roughly 130 students occupy trailer classrooms and buildings outside the mostly vacant main building, though they still use a gym attached to, but sealed off from, the abandoned portion. The students are set to move to a consolidated elementary school next school year.
Baltic said "ordinary combustibles," defined as materials like paper that one could find in a home, "were placed in a manner throughout the building that would indicate that somebody was attempting to set fire to it."
He said investigators believe the materials had been in the building for some time before their discovery, though he didn't know exactly how long. He declined to reveal much further information because the office is still investigating and he doesn't want possible suspects â of which the office currently has none â to know how much info he already has....
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Alleged arson attempt in Gilmer school spawns controversy By Ryan Quinn, Education Reporter Gazette-Mail | 
