Board approves contract to begin environmental testing at fire‑affected schools, 7–0

The Pasadena Unified School District board unanimously approved a contract to begin environmental evaluations at schools affected by recent fires following public testimony and technical questions about sampling methods.

During public comment, parents and scientists pressed the district for thorough surface and high‑contact testing and asked that findings and protocols be shared publicly. Multiple speakers said past clean‑ups may not have tested porous materials and urged the district to use recognized sampling methods.

Facilities staff introduced the vendor team and named subcontractor Andrew Smith and hygienist John Martin as part of the evaluation team. The vendor said the first step under the contract is a walk‑through to identify appropriate sampling locations; because the walk‑through determines which areas are tested, the exact number of samples was not available at the meeting. The vendor estimated lab turnaround at roughly 2–6 weeks and said they could begin the walk‑through as soon as availability is confirmed.

Trustees then took a vote after a motion to approve the contract; the clerk read a roll naming trustees who voted yes (including Jennifer Holly, Scott Harden, Kimberly Kenny, Michelle Ritchie, Yerma Velázquez and Tina Federix). The board recorded the vote as 7–0 in favor of awarding the contract.

Board members and staff emphasized that the contractor will provide more detailed sampling plans after the initial walk‑through and that results and recommended remediation steps will be shared with the community when available. The vendor told the board that some porous materials (for example, layered carpets) lack a standard regulatory test method and that recommendations about replacing such items would depend on measured levels and applicable regulatory thresholds.

The contract approval allows staff to move forward with scheduling the walk‑throughs; no final remediation decisions were made at the meeting.