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Parents press board over repeated sewer odor and health worries at Benton Elementary; maintenance team says repairs completed
Summary
After an extended presentation on leak detection and spring‑break repairs at Benton Elementary, parents told the Polk County School Board that children had fallen ill and raised questions about homebound eligibility, ESSER spending and staffing; maintenance staff said the root causes were identified and remediation was completed, while the district noted continuing minor work.
Parents pressed the Polk County School Board on health and safety concerns tied to sewer odor at Benton Elementary after a detailed facilities update from the district.
Adam Stone, building grounds supervisor, told the board that leak detection and repairs carried out during spring break addressed multiple leaks and vent‑pipe issues that had contributed to an intermittent odor in parts of the old building. Stone described a smoke‑testing method used to locate leaks in vents and drains; he said crews repaired visible cracked cast‑iron pipes, replaced vent and drain sections where needed, capped unused drains and sealed clean‑outs. "There is a significant reduction in the building odor," Stone said, and he reported that an April 7 health‑department site visit noted "zero violations observed" in the inspector's comments.
Community members told a different story. Kimberly Duncan said grandchildren who attended Benton Elementary became frequently ill and described incidents when a child vomited and was not promptly assisted. "When she got home, of course, I got upset," Duncan said, adding that she believed continued exposure to sewer odors contributed to respiratory and gastrointestinal problems in children. Other parents described difficulties getting homebound instruction approved, saying they submitted doctor recommendations but received inconsistent responses from school staff.
The meeting also featured questions about capital funding. Speakers asked whether federal ESSER funds or capital outlays could be redirected to build a replacement school; district officials and board members said ESSER money was restricted for learning‑loss interventions and other specific uses and that building a new school would require separate capital funding. One commenter cited a $469,000 capital outlay line and asked why that money could not be used for construction; board members said capital outlay and restricted federal funds are subject to statutory and program limits and pledged to further clarify accounting lines.
Parents urged more transparency and follow‑up. Several asked for public walkthroughs of Benton Elementary (on staff development days or scheduled afternoons) so community members can see repairs firsthand. One parent urged reinstating an assistant principal at Benton Elementary given an enrollment of about 400 students; the board was asked to consider the role during the upcoming budget process.
District staff said the majority of repairs are complete, with some minor work (for example, a remaining sink repair) still in progress, and urged parents to schedule walkthroughs with administration. The board took no formal policy action on the repairs at the meeting but approved related budget items elsewhere on the agenda (an ADA bathroom at Chai Middle School, and an emergency repair authorization for plumbing work up to $10,000).
