Elementary students in North Stonington haven’t had their first day of school, yet because hazardous air quality shut down three classrooms.
The testing delayed the start of school by almost a week, according to district Superintendent Peter Nero.
The school was supposed to start Wednesday but because of higher-than-recommended levels of polychlorinated biphenyls, better known as PCBs, in those few classrooms, the school was left scrambling to reorganize.
Thursday afternoon caution tape lined the entrance to North Stonington Elementary School with a sign posted that the school is closed and set to reopen Tuesday, Sept. 5.
In a phone call with NBC Connecticut, Nero said the latest testing for PCBs, a suspected carcinogen, targeted the music room, the library and a meeting room for staff and students as having an air quality at a higher-than-recommended level for young students, so they’ve been closed off.
He sent a voicemail to parents Tuesday informing them about the situation. It said in part, "We apologize for any inconvenience, however, the health, safety and welfare of our students and staff is always our number one priority."
Nero said he has been very vocal for years about the PCB problem in the school and has been pushing for a fix. A building project was first proposed in 2014. Nero said in 2016 a project to renovate both the elementary and middle/high schools was passed. It would completely remediate the chemical, which at the elementary level includes extracting the bricks around the windows, all the paint off the walls, and in some cases, creating new walls.
But plans have been delayed because of the state budget, Nero added.
The district has been in compliance with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), according to Nero, adding Eagle Environmental has done the PCB testing in the school.
PCBs were commonly used in building materials before 1979, according to Emily Bender, a public affairs specialist with the EPA, in an email to NBC Connecticut.
“PCBs were identified in the North Stonington school in certain paints, interior/exterior caulk, floor mastics and in exterior soil and ground surfaces located adjacent to the building,” she wrote, adding that the school even constructed a fence to restrict access to PCB-contaminated soil.
“EPA recommends to continue implementation of its best management practices, including cleaning and ensuring that air handling systems are working efficiently, to reduce PCB concentrations in indoor air and dust,” Bender wrote.
“Not what you expect, but things come up in the school and it’s better that they’re taking care of it,” said parent Lynda Pierce. She has a first and second grader at North Stonington Elementary and would rather wait to send them until the district deems it safe.
Parents at a meeting on Thursday night went to the school to learn more about PCBs. The district said this was a common problem in schools built in the 1960s.
Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut