Teacher raises safety concerns after Truman High gas incident; operations staff says a valve was closed

A Bristol Township School District teacher told the board during public comment that a March 20 classroom incident involving a gas odor was handled unsafely and without clear communication to staff. The teacher, who identified himself as Jim Cristia and said he is a 20-year district veteran and resident, said students were moved within the building but that the building was not evacuated and staff received limited information.

"I emailed Mr. Nitti and Dr. Polzer and stated that the building should be evacuated," Cristia said, and said he received a reprimand after publicly criticizing the response.

Operations staff and school officials responded at the meeting. Mike Cox said a student had inadvertently turned a valve. Cox said staff used calibrated gas-detection equipment and that the fire marshal later confirmed the district followed protocol and that “there was no reason to evacuate the school.” Cox said a fan was used to vent the area and systems were shut down per procedure.

Principal John Craig was referenced by speakers as having sent a follow-up email to staff instructing science teachers not to use gas, and the teacher asking questions said he was not given an incident timeline despite repeated requests.

During public comment Cristia asked three questions: why the district protocol (which he said is on the Navigate360 app) was not readily available or trained to staff; why the protocol was not followed; and who would be held accountable for what he described as an unsafe handling of the incident. He also raised general safety concerns about fights, assaults on staff and reductions in disciplinary referrals.

Board President Michael Morgan said the district operations team worked on the incident and that the fire marshal did not find fault. Cox, speaking at the meeting, reiterated that, “There was no gas leak. A student inadvertently turned a valve,” adding that staff acted and that the fire marshal confirmed the response.

The board did not take formal action or vote on the incident at the meeting. Several public commenters and school staff asked for clearer, accessible timelines and training so staff understand emergency procedures. The district’s formal incident timeline, investigative follow-up and any administrative responses were not distributed in the meeting record; the teacher said he had repeatedly requested an official timeline and did not receive one.

The board recorded no vote on school emergency procedures at the meeting, but the item drew sustained public comment and an operational reply from district staff.