BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — Students who once shopped at a downtown mall in Burlington, Vermont, are now attending high school in the former Macy's department store, with gleaming white tile floors and escalators whisking them to and from classes.

The Downtown Burlington High School opened March 4, about six months after school administrators closed the existing school, just under 2 miles away, because toxic industrial chemicals known as PCBs were found in the building and soil during renovations. That left students stuck at home learning remotely for much of the school year during the coronavirus...