A community committee and parents pressed the Tangipahoa Parish School Board on Dec. 2 to authorize independent environmental testing of school campuses after an Aug. 22 industrial explosion, saying current federal testing has left unanswered questions about short- and long-term health risks.

"This thing happened on the August 22," Sergeant Marvin Burton told the board, describing a committeethat has met with independent scientists and engineers and "taken the initiative" to study potential exposures. Burton said the group believes the Environmental Protection Agency is "not telling us everything" and urged the board to allow campus testing separate from EPA work.

Resident Jody Hart, who said she lives about a half-mile from the explosion site, told the board her home and Rose La Montessori were coated in oily soot after the blast and that children have developed new symptoms, including nosebleeds and respiratory and gastrointestinal problems. "This black substance is still on the school," she said, and she described independent tests that she said found contaminants the EPA had not tested for.

Board members and staff responded that the district already contracts environmental testing through district staff ("Miss Tracy Hudson ... we contract it out through Ritter Consultants," the board said) and that testing results are public records. Superintendent and board members said they would share existing test results with the community committee and arrange for district environmental staff to meet with the group's experts.

"We have nothing to gain as elected officials to try to hide anything," a board member said, urging cooperation and promising to continue testing and information sharing. Board officials also said they welcome further recommendations from independent scientists and invited a previously referenced independent tester to speak to the board publicly.

What happened next: the board agreed to share the results of testing already completed and to arrange a follow-up meeting between the community committee and the district's environmental lead to identify any additional testing needs and to clarify whether independent testing should be pursued.

Context and next steps: Committee members asked the district to consider a parishwide monitoring plan, campus filter changes and long-term health monitoring for students and staff. The board did not authorize a district-funded third-party testing program at the meeting but committed to coordinating existing results with the committee and to further dialogue.

Clarifying details: Residents and the committee repeatedly referenced an Aug. 22 explosion. The district stated it uses contractual testing for asbestos, mold and air quality; the specific datasets, test methods, or dates of prior campus tests were not read into the record but were described as public records the board will share on request.