Jana Elementary students to attend different Hazelwood School District schools, testing pending - KMOV4

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KMOV) - The Hazelwood School District announced Friday that students who attend Jana Elementary School will be transferred to five other elementary schools in the district.

The district recently decided to close Jana Elementary while the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers does new testing after an outside report by Boston Chemical Data Corp showed unsafe levels of radioactive contamination inside and outside the school. It concluded that radioactive waste was found in dust in classrooms, the kitchen, the library and the HVAC system, and radioactive waste was also found outside on the surface of a playground and ballfields.

The radioactive waste is from runoff from when World War II bombs were built in the area. The runoff affected areas along Coldwater Creek, where Jana Elementary is located.

The Corps of Engineers is the federal group that conducted a series of tests dating back to 2018, but none of the tests happened inside the school or in the immediate vicinity outside of the school. The new testing by the Corps of Engineers includes sampling inside the school and the immediate area outside.

“Public safety is our top priority. Our team has the right expertise and experience to complete this work,” said Col. Kevin Golinghorst, St. Louis district commander with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in a news release. “We are making steady progress in our structure and soil investigations across the entire property. We owe it to the public and the parents, children and staff of Jana Elementary school to make informed decisions and take effective actions using accurate data.”

“I think another test from an outside group that does not have existing contracts or ever had contracts with the Army Corps of Engineers/Department of Energy is absolutely vital,” said Jana Parent Teacher Association president Ashley Bernaugh.

Jana Elementary students will be placed in Barrington Elementary, Brown Elementary, Coldwater Elementary, McCurdy Elementary or Walker Elementary.

“There’s going to be a lot more disruption to those five different schools that I don’t think is being talked about,” Bernaugh said.

Bernaugh said there are two viable options for Jana elementary school students; the second floor of Arrowpoint Elementary or at the Hazelwood Opportunity Center.

On Friday the school district said it acknowledged other options but stated sending Jana students to other Hazelwood District elementary schools is the best decision due to the unpredictability of what will happen. Basically, having students in already functioning schools provides more stability.

The Corps of Engineers said its testing from inside and outside the school should be wrapped up in about two weeks, then the Department of Energy will review the findings.

Parents will learn what school their children are attending by mid-November. Former Jana students will start at their new schools the week after Thanksgiving.

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Jana Elementary students to attend different Hazelwood School District schools, testing pending - KMOV4
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