ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – Parents of students at Jana Elementary School will receive an update on the tests the Army Corps of Engineers has been conducting.
An independent report found high levels of radioactive contamination at the school. Those results will be presented to the Hazelwood School District at 8 a.m. on Wednesday.
Jana Elementary’s PTA President Ashley Bernaugh said the Army Corps has already found radium, uranium, and thorium in their past testing. She said parents do not expect those results to tell a complete story.
“These new preliminary results are basically the area that they wouldn’t go before,” Bernaugh said. “They told us that was not necessary and really demeaned a lot of parents when we came to them with our concerns.”
The Boston Chemical Data Corporation provided the report that found elevated levels of contamination at the school. It is sending a representative who will share those preliminary results.
“What we expect from these results is a lack of information that will be coherent,” Bernaugh said. “We don’t know exactly how they are going to line up with the already found radioactive contamination, so I have lots of questions.”
After closing the school and moving to virtual learning, Jana Elementary School students will be redistricted to other area schools starting Nov. 28.