ASHLAND, Ky. (WSAZ) A mysterious rash is the reason Boyd County Middle School students will be moving to the old Boyd County High School starting next week.

The middle school is undergoing a complete renovation, which was suspected to be the cause of the rash, but school officials say water and air testing has not revealed a cause.

They say they’re moving the kids into the other building to err on the side of safety.

School officials say the rashes first showed up among about six kids last fall, and in the past week about 20 more children have reported having it.

They say the kids got the rash while they were in school, and it would go away after they left.

A mother who didn’t want to be identified whose son had the rash says she applauds the district’s decision to move the kids.

Clyde Thompson’s wife teaches at the school, and their son attends there.

“They’ve done all they can do here, in my opinion,” Thompson said. “I think they’re erring on the safe side. I can’t complain about that at all.”

Bruce Hereford’s son hasn’t gotten the rash. He agrees with the decision to leave the building.

“If it’s going to keep the rashes from happening, then it’s the best thing for the kids,” Hereford said.

Teachers and school employees will be spending the weekend moving their stuff, getting ready to resume the school year in different classrooms, and hopefully leave the mystery rash behind.

“Obviously there are going to be a lot of things for the kids to figure out,” Hereford said, “where to go, what to do, where their classes are going to be.”

We’re told students will be using that other building until construction on the middle school is completed. They say without kids in the building, the work is expected to be completed earlier than the scheduled completion target of early December.

The move applies to seventh- and eighth-graders. Sixth-graders were already in the old Boyd County High School because of lack of space from the construction, a school official said.