With two weeks left before school starts, Boyle Heights families are gripped by concerns about conditions and safety at the eight campuses within a one-mile radius of the Lineage warehouse fire, with nearby schools and neighborhoods filled with the smell of rotting food, flies and rats.
LAUSD is responding with tests, cleanups and air filters
There are no plans to delay the Aug. 12 opening of nearby campuses, transfer students to other schools or switch to online learning. All schools will be open as normal – although operations will be strictly monitored and affected campuses are being cleaned inside and out.
When the fire broke out during summer school, LA Unified moved students to other locations. But this change has reduced the number of summer school attendances, which students can choose.
Officials with Los Angeles Unified, which is conducting a series of online parent meetings, say schools in the area are clean and safe, and that indoor air quality will be high and students will be kept inside if the smell from the store is strong. Principals will decide whether to keep students inside if the smell is too bad to play outside.
“We changed the air filters in the affected schools,” Supt. Andrés E. Chait said in a recent response to a Times question. “The plant managers have been there all summer, so we’ve been working with all those schools, and we’ll continue until August 12.”
Additional safety measures include ongoing dust and air sampling at ten campuses in the Boyle Heights area, said Carlos Torres, director of the School District’s Office of Environmental Health and Safety.
“We have enough information to show that our schools are safe,” Torres told parents during a web conference Thursday evening. “Agencies have said the areas are safe to reoccupy.” He said the test reports will be posted on the district’s website.
Eastern District Supt. Lourdes Ramirez-Ortiz said county officials will be knocking on doors asking how they can help make families feel safer.
“Our goal is to make families feel safe, healthy and educated,” said Ramirez-Ortiz. “The school grounds are the safest place for our students to be.”
Gilberto Martinez, who is in charge of district operations, told parents that “in times of trauma, we want to ensure that these scheduled days, times, activities remain as normal as possible. So we want students to be able to go outside and play.”
Health complaints are increasing from parents near Lineage fire schools
Silva said the summer was full of pressure. In summer temperatures, the family has not used the air conditioner – initially for fear of bringing in toxic substances from the smoke and because of the smell from the 42,500 tons of rotting food inside the refrigerated warehouse.
His 15-year-old son will be a sophomore at Garfield High — a little more than two miles away — and it seems far enough. The school district held an opening ceremony there on July 21 and, on that day at least, there was no lingering smell.
But her 10-year-old daughter is in the 6th grade at Stevenson Middle School, about six blocks from their home and within a mile of the fire and, often, she backs down directly.
His ongoing concern is about the ubiquitous smell and how it will interfere with learning.
Currently, she does not allow her children to play outside and they did not attend summer after-school programs after the fire. They are stressed and frustrated, said Silva. The smell is too strong even sitting on their porch.
Teachers inspect schools
On Tuesday, a team of teachers union visited Eastman Elementary and Stevenson.
Much of what union Vice President Jessica Rodarte saw was reassuring — with school administrators and officials at pains to explain cleanup and inspection efforts.
He found that although no soil samples have been taken so far, the district has chosen to select dust because the latest dust will determine what was deposited as a result of the fire.
All classrooms have air conditioners and he was assured that all filters have been changed and that the new ones have a maximum level of MERV 13. In addition, air purifiers – with carbon filters for odor control – will be in all classrooms.
“There are emergency plans to keep children inside,” she reported. “Set them up for an indoor schedule.”
“We are still concerned about whether there are enough workers to continue pest control,” said Rodarte.
“Air quality and pests are an issue that needs to be addressed,” Rodarte said. “Some of the schools are really big and where are we going to move?”
Sixth grade teacher Rafael Rodriguez took a tour of Eastman Elementary.
“It’s not what I saw, it’s what I smelled,” said Rodriguez, who teaches at a school outside the smelly area. “When I was around … the smell was horrible. It was something that we don’t feel should be tolerated …. We want to make sure that students are able to return to a safe and healthy place, and we feel that there are still many concerns that need to be addressed.”
The need to do something
In Boyle Heights, community members are calling for immediate cleanup action and more home health and safety assistance in low-income neighborhoods.
“The Lineage fire exposed a long-standing injustice in Boyle Heights in East LA and elsewhere,” said school board member Rocío Rivas, who represents the area. “Our schools, our students and families face real disruptions, including concerns about air quality, health impacts, childcare and lost learning opportunities.”
He asked that the center be closed forever. “The operation of companies should never interfere with the health and safety of children,” said Rivas.
At the current rate, it seems highly unlikely that perishable food will be removed by Aug. 12. Removal may continue for several months.
“Low-income communities of color should not be forced to suffer any longer than necessary simply because of their class status,” said Elmer Roldan, executive director of Communities in Los Angeles Schools. “Our elected leaders and businesses have a responsibility to take care of our communities, and we are counting on them to move quickly.”
He believes that schools should move temporarily if the problems are not resolved at the beginning of the year.
Other community leaders spoke in similar terms.
“Until we get soil samples and inspect schools and classrooms to make sure our kids won’t be exposed to toxic chemicals or particles, we shouldn’t be sending our kids to nearby schools,” said Henry Perez, head of the InnerCity Struggle community group.
But moving the value of the school to another place is not a solution.
Silva worries, for example, about reaching a campus that is too far away. The family feels safe in Stevenson; transportation would be complicated.
And despite the worries about the start of school, Silva said his family is still suffering from headaches, nausea, sore throats, itchy eyes, stomachaches, diarrhea and chronic cough. He also responds to the health of his daughter who suffers from asthma.
“I didn’t sleep, I had to keep checking if my children were breathing,” said Silva.
