A school in Florissant is facing concern from parents after tests came back showing elevated levels of radioactive lead, in some cases many times higher than acceptable levels.
Jana Elementary sits on Coldwater Creek, which was contaminated with radioactive materials from the Manhattan Project in the 1940s. Tests found high levels of radioactivity in the cafeteria, the playground, and more.
Ashley Bernaugh is the president of the school's PTA. She told KMOX that some parents have taken their kids out of school to learn remotely.
"No one should be making this choice between education and having to send their kid to school on top of bomb waste or with bomb waste," Bernaugh said. "And I think the response from everyone in the community, you know, kind of having an outcry over this shows us how not normal this is that we are being asked to do such."
The school district itself hasn't said much regarding the issue, and Bernaugh said she isn't sure why they haven't heard anything. But, she said, the PTA believes communication with parents is imperative.
"That's first, that transparency. And the lack of it has been at the heart of this issue in the north county-wide community forever," she said. "And the lack of transparency has allowed Jana Elementary to be a holding cell for the Department of Energy's waste this entire time for what, 80 years, since the original atomic waste was dumped at the airport and the nearby Latty Avenue storage site."
The school board is holding a meeting Tuesday night to discuss the issue. Bernaugh said she and other PTA members will be there to speak.
"We have an amazing school, I mean just one of the best schools in all of Hazelwood School District, and we hope that we'll hear that our school is worth saving," she said. "And our school is worth having a safe place for kids to learn. So we need the school board members to direct the department of energy to come clean up their waste in an expedited and thorough manner."
Bernaugh described the lack of transparency as "deeply sad," especially since people had known about the radioactive waste since the early 1970s.
Congresswoman Cori Bush addressed the issue in a statement Tuesday morning, saying in part, "The federal government is responsible for this waste, and we need answers from them on their plan to immediately begin cleanup of Jana Elementary and the surrounding areas so our kids' health and education is not further disrupted by the presence of toxic chemicals. Inaction is not an option. The safety of our children and our communities must come first."
Hear more from PTA president Ashley Bernaugh on Jana Elementary:
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