Parents say chemical cleaning at Oasis Elementary sickened students and staff; contractor says product cleared by hazmat

Parents and staff at Oasis Elementary told the Coachella Valley Unified board they believe a contracted deep cleaning left residue and strong fumes that caused students and some staff to report throat irritation and skin reactions, and that emergency responders later visited the campus.

Parents asked the board for specifics on what chemical was used and why they were not notified. "This morning we received a notification that there was still residue on the countertops, and I had a strong smell," said Alicia Torres, who asked SERVPRO representatives and district supervisors to explain what chemicals were used and whether rooms were safe for students and staff.

A SERVPRO representative who identified himself as Jose told the board the company uses a cleaning product called DECON 30 districtwide and that crews later re-cleaned affected areas with water to remove any residue. "The chemical that we widely use is DECON 30," he said. He added that the company provided MSDS (material safety data sheets) to local fire and hazmat responders, who inspected the rooms and determined no hazards remained.

Parents said they were not satisfied with the speed or clarity of district communications. Irene Rodriguez, speaking for Oasis parents, said promised supports such as campus liaisons and librarians had not been restored, and that routine facility problems (dirty or locked restrooms, broken fountains, reduced yard supervision) remained unresolved. "No one's doing anything," she told the board, asking what the district would do to ensure a safe environment.

Union leaders also raised related staffing concerns, noting outsourced cleaning work and understaffed custodial crews at some sites. Veronica Duenas of CSCA said contracting out custodial work for deep cleaning is an example of the district using outside firms to perform work previously done by classified staff. "If we do not have enough staff at a site, that is where the district should be looking at those ratios to support a site," she said.

What the district reported at the meeting: Maintenance and operations staff briefed the board that after the overnight deep cleaning on March 4 the district was notified of a lingering smell; SERVPRO and maintenance re-cleaned and provided product information to the fire department and hazmat teams, who inspected the site. Officials told board staff that no hazards were found and the rooms were cleared for occupancy.

Next steps: Parents requested clearer communication about what chemical was used, why it was applied in those classrooms, whether any exposure occurred, and what protocols the district followed. The transcript records the contractor’s statement that DECON 30 was used and that emergency responders reviewed MSDS sheets; the district did not provide additional documentation during the meeting.

The board did not take a formal vote on the cleaning incident during the meeting; the item arose during public comment and facilities discussion.