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Published August 29, 2023 at 4:40 p.m.
Just as the academic year gets under way, another Vermont school is dealing with airborne PCBs.
This time, it's Bellows Falls Union High School, where administrators are scrambling to determine how they can use the campus safely this fall. The fixes will be costly — and potentially disruptive.
In the spring, 49 spaces in the high school were tested for the toxic chemicals as part of a statewide program. Results came back on August 10 and showed that multiple rooms — including the gymnasium, auditorium and stage — exceeded the state's "immediate action level" of 300 nanograms per cubic meter for seventh graders and older.
Under guidelines set by the Vermont Department of Health, students and staff are not allowed to use a space if it exceeds the immediate action level.
This time, it's Bellows Falls Union High School, where administrators are scrambling to determine how they can use the campus safely this fall. The fixes will be costly — and potentially disruptive.
In the spring, 49 spaces in the high school were tested for the toxic chemicals as part of a statewide program. Results came back on August 10 and showed that multiple rooms — including the gymnasium, auditorium and stage — exceeded the state's "immediate action level" of 300 nanograms per cubic meter for seventh graders and older.
Under guidelines set by the Vermont Department of Health, students and staff are not allowed to use a space if it exceeds the immediate action level.
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Windham Northeast Supervisory Union, of which Bellows Falls Union High School is a part, has hired a consultant to create a PCB mitigation plan. The district has also ordered 80 carbon filtration units that are expected to arrive later this week, with the hope that they will lower the airborne concentrations of the chemicals. Additional work will be required to address the PCB sources.
Related A PCB 'Fix' at Wilmington School Actually Drives Levels Higher
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At a special board meeting on August 22, high school principal Kelly O'Ryan, who's starting her first year on the job, said she and her staff are aiming to have students and staff inside the building no more than 26 hours per week — the amount of time recommended by the state — without disrupting the school schedule.
That means renting tents, equipped with Wi-Fi and propane heaters, that will serve as classrooms, as well as space for school-wide events such as homecoming and pep rallies. The school district is also looking at the possibility of renting space off-site for extracurriculars such as basketball and theater.
So far, the district has ordered and installed 11 tents on the high school's grounds, plus tables and chairs to go inside. All told, it will cost approximately $100,000 for the fall, superintendent Andrew Haas said in an email to Seven Days on Tuesday. The tents are not equipped to withstand winter in Vermont.
So far, the district has ordered and installed 11 tents on the high school's grounds, plus tables and chairs to go inside. All told, it will cost approximately $100,000 for the fall, superintendent Andrew Haas said in an email to Seven Days on Tuesday. The tents are not equipped to withstand winter in Vermont.
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The Agency of Education has said it will reimburse the district for the cost of the tents, a district spokesperson told Seven Days in an email. The money will likely come from a $13 million pot that the legislature has approved to pay for PCB remediation in schools. Lawmakers earmarked an additional $16 million for Burlington High School, which shuttered its campus and is building a new school after discovering high concentrations of PCBs in 2020.
Several other schools around the state have had disruptions related to PCBs, including in Cabot, Wilmington, Chester, Newport, Island Pond and Brattleboro.
In June, both Attorney General Charity Clark and a group of 93 school districts, including Windham Northeast, filed lawsuits against Monsanto, the agrochemical company that manufactured PCBs, in an attempt to recoup money to pay for remediation in schools. But that litigation is likely to drag on for years.
At last week's special meeting, Bellows Falls Union High School board member Michael Stack asked administrators whether they had a plan B if the air filtration units didn't work to lower the PCB concentration in the school.
O'Ryan said she'd been too busy to think that far ahead.
"This has been a 24-7 lift," she said.
Several other schools around the state have had disruptions related to PCBs, including in Cabot, Wilmington, Chester, Newport, Island Pond and Brattleboro.
In June, both Attorney General Charity Clark and a group of 93 school districts, including Windham Northeast, filed lawsuits against Monsanto, the agrochemical company that manufactured PCBs, in an attempt to recoup money to pay for remediation in schools. But that litigation is likely to drag on for years.
Related Vermont and Its Schools Sued Over PCBs. Will They Win?
Vermont and Its Schools Sued Over PCBs. Will They Win?
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O'Ryan said she'd been too busy to think that far ahead.
"This has been a 24-7 lift," she said.
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About The Author
Alison Novak
Bio:
Alison is the former managing editor at Kids VT, Seven Days' parenting publication and writes about education for Seven Days.
Alison is the former managing editor at Kids VT, Seven Days' parenting publication and writes about education for Seven Days.
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