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Parents and board clash over school building conditions; facilities chair says buildings are 'safe' despite needed repairs
Summary
Board facilities chair James Emery and grounds manager described recurring sewer backups and aging cast‑iron piping; Emery said professional air‑quality tests found acceptable indoor air while several parents and union leaders disputed that assessment and raised health concerns.
At the Elizabethtown Area School District board meeting, Vice President and facilities chair James Emery detailed ongoing septic and sewer problems at the high school and middle‑school complex and called for continued work while assuring the public the buildings remain safe.
Emery said the district has had increasing backups and that part of the system is aged cast iron. He invited grounds and buildings manager Mr. Oliveira to the microphone, who said many recent blockages have been caused by student behaviour — extra toilet paper, t‑shirts and other items flushed down toilets — even as he acknowledged the sewer system itself "is in need of help." Oliveira said contractors and augers have been required to clear clogs in recent weeks.
Emery summarized recent professional indoor‑air testing, saying the tests "deemed" air quality acceptable and that periodic testing and portable detectors carried by maintenance are in place as a precaution. "These tests… said that the air within our buildings is even better than the air outside that you breathe," Emery said.
That assurance did not satisfy several public commenters. Alicia Runkel told the board that she has seen doctors sign statements linking chronic illnesses to environmental factors in the building and said lower‑level air contaminants can still make people sick over time. "Long term exposure to poor air quality can make students and staff sick, and that is unsafe," she said.
Jim Safford, president of the Elizabethtown Area Education Association, questioned the credentials of the individual who spoke for the district about testing and said an independent public‑health review (he said the U.S. Public Health Service would be engaged) was expected. "The guy that you had come up to this podium and talk was not a microbiologist… He's not a physician," Safford said.
The administration said the tests were conducted by professionals and that no detectors have registered an alarm.
Next steps: The district has posted a facility information page with test results and feasibility studies; the board said it will continue periodic testing and examine longer‑term facility options, including feasibility studies that may inform remodeling or replacement.
