THE region was shocked earlier this year when it was revealed students at Wee Waa High School, 39 kilometres north-west of Narrabri, had begun falling ill with a mystery illness.
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After some suffered from a suspected allergic reaction following rainfall several weeks earlier, the premises was shut and pupils relocated a primary school.
While officials have not been able to state exactly what the issue is, it is suspected to be related to a type of mould which is potentially being caused by a sump underneath the school.
Barwon MP Roy Butler acknowledged it's difficult to tell how much water could be in that sump, given the two figures he has heard - 30,000 and 300,000 litres - are very different.
"All of the environmental hygienists that have gone though the school haven't been able to put their finger on exactly what the problem is and that's a real concern that we still don't know after all this time and all this assessment," he said.
The Department of Education (DoE) has given a timeline of by the end of term to make a decision on whether to fix the issues at the current site, or committing to build a new school.
NSW Minister for Education, Sarah Mitchell, visited the school this week to hear first-hand from those impacted.
"The department is continuing investigations to determine the cause of mould at Wee Waa High School," she said.
"I've been assured that all high school students can learn and participate in their full curriculum from Day 1 Term 1, 2021 at Wee Waa Public School site.
"During the visit we had a good meeting with the community and discussed a number of options surrounding the school.
"Everything is on the table and we will do whatever needs to be done to solve this problem as quickly as possible."
Mr Butler is pleased with the strong stance and genuine interest from the DoE and Ms Mitchell, but said major decisions will need to be made if they are to start over again.
"The big question then is what site within the levee bank at Wee Waa could you build a new school," he stated.
In what had already been a difficult and frequently interrupted year, this added distraction has been an unwelcomed stress for students, particularly those going through their HSCs.
