The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers St. Louis District plans a community briefing Thursday to discuss early results from sampling for radioactive contamination at Jana Elementary School in Florissant, Mo., the Corps announced Monday.
The St. Louis District’s Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP) is hosting a town hall-style meeting, Nov. 17, from 5-8 p.m., Central Time at Florissant Municipal Court on Washington Street.
“We took nearly 1,000 samples and measurements throughout the school and the grounds and preliminary results show no presence of radioactive material above the level of radioactivity Mother Nature already provides,” Col. Kevin Golinghorst, St. Louis District commander, said in the Monday release. “So, from a radiological standpoint, the school is safe.”
It is the same assessment the Corps FUSRAP officials issued last week, but whether it will allay the fears of local parents, teachers and school officials remains to be seen.
The Army Corps started its sampling Oct. 24, not long after the Hazelwood Board of Education voted to stop using the school building, temporarily switching most students over to online learning until they could be reassigned to different schools starting after the Thanksgiving break. The school system action was prompted after research by Boston Chemical Data suggested radioactive contamination was more significant than previously thought.
Two members of the Missouri congressional delegation, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) have called upon the White House and the Army Corps to make the Jana Elementary School’s concerns a priority.
