It is unclear if students and staff will return to two Franklin elementary schools where higher-than-recommended levels of contaminants were found in the ground beneath the schools.
EnviroForensics, a local environmental consulting firm the school has hired, is testing the air inside Needham and Webb elementary schools. Those results are expected back next week.
School officials and representatives from the testing agency shared details of the most recent results from samples taken earlier this month during a press conference on Friday at the high school. The samples were tested for TCE and PCE, volatile organic compounds that can have negative health effects.
The results show that the sub-slab vapor concentrations of both TCE and PCE increased since the last sampling event in August 2018, which was most likely due to winter seasonal conditions, said Jeff Carnahan, president of EnviroForensics.
But it’s the TCE levels that are concerning right now, not PCE, he said.
TCE and PCE levels can fluctuate seasonally, which is why more testing was needed, he said. The first two rounds of tests were conducted last summer, and the results showed no concerning levels of contamination at that time.
Additionally, both schools adjusted their air conditioning units to increase the amount of fresh air being cycled through the building and to create a positive pressure, Carnahan said. Both measures are common responses to vapor intrusion concerns, he said.
Both schools have been operating under those conditions since the school year began in August.
Still, Franklin schools committed to more testing in the winter. Another round of tests was conducted in early March, and the results changed significantly.
Recent samples taken from Webb Elementary showed significantly higher traces of TCE in the ground below the school, with the highest reading underneath a classroom on the northwest side of the building.
The Indiana Department of Environmental Management’s recommended level for TCE is 70 micrograms per cubic meter. Three out of seven samples taken below Webb showed significantly higher levels of TCE — 849, 242 and 225 micrograms per cubic meter.
“The 800 number does stand out. That one increase in that sampling up to 800 is certainly something that we’re going to be looking at very closely,” Carnahan said.
Needham’s traces weren’t as high but are still concerning, Carnahan said.
Two out of 10 samples taken below Needham showed levels ranging from 96 to 100 micrograms per cubic meter.
“A conservative interpretation of this data could indicate that the potential exists for some TCE to make its way through the floors of the school buildings and into the air,” Carnahan said. “Given the large size of the Needham and Webb buildings, and the proactive ventilation efforts already implemented at the schools, it’s uncertain if the indoor air has been impacted.”
Environmental experts began another round of testing on Thursday. Indoor air sampling is being performed over the weekend to determine if the air inside the buildings is safe, he said.
“It is our intention that when we receive the information back, we will gather together and begin looking at the future for us,” Franklin Schools Superintendent David Clendening said.
“It will never be my intention to put a student or staff member back into a facility where there would be question of unsafe air quality.”
Students and staff at both schools had an e-Learning day on Thursday, the last day before spring break. At this time, all students are expected to return to school on April 1. No other schools are believed to be at risk and are not being tested at this time, officials said Friday.
But depending on the results that come back next week, students at Needham and Webb may not return to those school buildings.
“We’re continuing to look at various scenarios,” Clendening said. “If we get data back (that shows higher-then-recommended levels), the kids won’t be going into that classroom or Webb Elementary. They’ll be going to another place on our campus to continue school.”
School officials will share more details about the plan for the rest of the school year late next week, he said.
“Just like any other event, if it were a natural-occurring tornado or something, we have contingency plans. Our guiding principle of systemic thinking continues to drive that,” Clendening said.
“We’re not going to put anybody back in harm’s way, and we will have the kids in a school setting if that were the indication.”
If the levels continue to change from this point forward, it would likely be on a downward trend because the weather is heating up, Carnahan said. Levels typically rise during colder weather.
