Kyrene pauses Sierra roof work after odor complaints; students relocated to Cerritos and Altadena

The Kyrene Governing Board on Aug. 19 heard an update that roofing work at Kyrene de la Sierra has been paused after air-quality complaints and indoor air testing showed elevated volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and that students and staff have been relocated to Cerritos and Altadena while mitigation and further testing continue.

Superintendent Laura Tenas said the district paused production on the roof Aug. 1 and has provided multiple updates to families. "We just want to give you a little update on the roof, what's going on with the roof, and also what's going on with the relocation of our Sierra students," she said, explaining the district invited outside experts to present the testing results.

Mason Mead, Kyrene's director of facilities, summarized the response: the district met with Maricopa County air-quality officials, sealed the roof Aug. 13 as a precaution against rain, and is continuing mitigation and additional testing under recommendations from Dominion Environmental Consultants. Mead said roofing production has been on hold since Aug. 1 and that the district is awaiting an official response from Maricopa County regarding the complaint.

Dominion environmental hygienist Dr. Ryan (Dominion Environmental Consultants) described the testing Dominion performed. Dominion used handheld meters to map total VOCs and then collected a laboratory air sample from what Dominion identified as the building's highest-reading room. "The total volatile organic compound levels were elevated in the building," Dr. Ryan said, noting that VOCs detected included many low-odor-threshold compounds commonly associated with roofing products. He said individual compounds mostly fell below adult occupational exposure limits and that, when combined into a hazard-index calculation and adjusted with conservative pediatric safety factors, the cumulative hazard index remained below thresholds the team used for screening.

Dr. Ryan warned that roofing materials often produce strong odors at low concentrations even when chemical constituents are below typical adult occupational limits. "Roofing projects and roofing materials are not a high hazard," he said, "but they can cause headaches and irritation and the smell itself is off-putting, which is why ventilation and dissipation are important." He and Mead said Dominion and Progressive Roofing tests both reported non-detect results for asbestos in roofing samples.

District staff described logistics of the move: technology and curricular materials, including Chromebooks, were transferred to receiving campuses; custodial teams deep-cleaned and sanitized rooms used to receive Sierra classes; food-service and community-education programs were reconfigured; and families who could not attend the host campuses were offered an instructional-time model. Staff said about 30 families accepted early laptop distribution and that community-education registrations for affected students were refunded automatically for the initial closure period.

Communications director Erin (Kyrene communications) said the district has continued near-daily media engagement and published testing results, safety-data sheets and mitigation steps at kyrene.org/sierarouffe; legal counsel advised declining further interviews because of potential litigation. Superintendent Tenas told the board the district is prepared for the work to take several months and cautioned families to be prepared that students might not return to Sierra until after winter break, but said the district would notify families sooner if the building is cleared earlier.

During public comment, several parents and community members raised health and testing concerns. Parent Courtney Maxdon urged the district to perform transmission-electron-microscopy (TEM) asbestos testing, saying polarized-light microscopy (PLM) can miss asbestos and that the classroom sample Dominion reported as having high VOCs required further review. Maxdon also asserted that some children experienced symptoms such as nosebleeds and vomiting; she asked whether the district would commission additional TEM testing and asked for accountability for decisions that allowed roofing work to proceed before testing.

Board members and officials emphasized cooperation among schools and thanked staff at Cerritos and Altadena for accommodating Sierra students. President Kevin Walsh and board members praised host-school staff and local PTOs for rapid support and volunteer help. Mead and Dr. Ryan answered board questions about sampling methodology, hazard-index calculations, and the meaning of the laboratory results.

No final re-occupancy date was set at the meeting. Officials said they will continue mitigation and testing per Dominion's recommendations, coordinate with Maricopa County air-quality authorities, and will not return students to Sierra until testing and mitigation support re-occupancy.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to approve the meeting agenda — moved by Vice President Trina Nelson, second by Member Bunny Davis; outcome: approved, 5–0. (Recorded at 6:16 p.m.) - Motion to approve the consent agenda — moved by Member Amy Satri, second by Vice President Nelson; outcome: approved, 5–0. (Recorded later in the meeting.) - Motion to convene into executive session — second by Member Davis; outcome: approved, 5–0. (Recorded near meeting end.) - Motion to conclude executive session — second by Member Cedric Collins; outcome: approved, 3–0. (Recorded at conclusion of executive session.) - Motion to adjourn — second by Vice President Nelson; outcome: approved, 3–0. (Meeting adjourned at 8:10 p.m.)

What the district said and what remains open

Officials said laboratory analysis of an indoor sample showed the building's total VOCs were elevated compared with green-building reference values, that individual chemical constituents generally fell below standard adult occupational exposure limits, and that combined hazard-index screening using conservative safety factors remained below the district's screening thresholds. Dominion and Progressive Roofing reported non-detect results for asbestos in tested roofing materials. Parents and several public commenters disagreed with the sufficiency of PLM testing and asked the district to order TEM testing and to provide clearer timelines and accountability. District staff said they will follow Dominion's recommendations, coordinate with Maricopa County, and keep families informed via the district website and direct communications.

Community impact and next steps

Students from Sierra have attended classes at Cerritos and Altadena since the closure; district staff said the campuses were prepared with cleaned rooms, redistributed technology and food-service adjustments. Superintendent Tenas said families should plan for the possibility that re-occupancy could be delayed through winter break but that the district will announce an earlier return if testing clears the building sooner. Officials said further testing, mitigation and consultations with county regulators will guide the re-occupancy decision.