'Unacceptably high' levels of radioactive waste at Missouri elementary school prompt outrage
"Unacceptably high" levels of radioactive waste was found at a Missouri elementary school, putting students at risk and forcing them to switch to virtual learning.
The Hazelwood School District's board in St. Louis announced Tuesday that Jana Elementary School in Florissant, Missouri, would swap to virtual classrooms. The move will allot enough time to redistrict the students to other schools after the Thanksgiving break.
The board apologized to parents for putting their children at risk and said it's doing everything in its power to clean up hazardous material.
"To the students, staff and parents of the Jana school community, we recognize that you are being faced with a situation not created by anyone in this room, and over which you have no control," school board president Betsy Rachel said at a packed meeting. "This is causing a disruption to our student’s education and school environment, for that we sincerely apologize."
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Parents say they're furious they weren't told about the hazard sooner.
“I can get a call about a crayon or a pencil, but I can’t get a call (about nuclear waste)," Kimberly Anderson, whose three grandchildren attend Jana Elementary, told the board at the meeting, according to NBC News.
"In August, after bringing you this news, you all decided not to communicate this to our community. ... I did. ... Our PTA did," PTA President Ashley Bernaugh said at the board in the meeting, according to local television station NBC 5 KSDK.
Radioactive waste from World War II
Jana Elementary is located close to Coldwater Creek, an area contaminated when radioactive waste from World War II weapons was dumped in the 1940s and 1950s. It was determined last week that radioactive levels at the site were causing an "unacceptably high risk to the children."
Contamination was found in classrooms and the library, in the HVAC system and on the playground and nearby fields, according to a report from Boston Chemical Data Corp. The study, completed this month, was performed on behalf of law firms involved in a class-action lawsuit – one of many seeking compensation for those who blame illness or death on living near the creek.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says high levels of radiation can increase the risk of cancer, while high levels of lead can affect a child's development and attention span.
The school – which sits in a subdivision surrounded by homes – opened in the 1970s and has educated thousands of children, said Christen Commuso of the Missouri Coalition for the Environment. "You’re talking about kids throughout the decades who have been exposed to this," Commuso said.
Contributing: The Associated Press
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: High levels of radioactive waste found at Missouri elementary school
