The pungent stench of roofing tar being applied to new classrooms had kids gagging and calling their parents at Dana Gray Elementary School last Thursday. Seventy kids were pulled out of school that day by their parents, the district said.
Several parents contacted the Advocate-News about the incident. This reporter contacted Anna Russell, who has two children at the school.
“It was a really bad smell. A lot of kids went home because they felt nauseous,” said Russell.
“Of course, a few kids played it up and used it as an opportunity to get out of school. But the stench was really bad. My son”s classroom is right next to where they were putting the tar on. His hair, his clothes actually stunk of tar when he got home,” Russell said.
Fort Bragg Unified School District Superintendent Steve Lund said the district has asked the contractor not to work during school hours. The tarring had started early Thursday morning. About mid-morning the contractor was asked to stop and did. However, the odor continued most of the day, parents reported.
Lund said it is common practice to do roofing while children are in school. Several other school districts he has worked with have tarred during school hours with no problems.
“I quite honestly don”t know why it caused such a problem here when it hasn”t in other places. It was pungent, no doubt and definitely did cause a problem,” he said.
Lund said the design of the building and or the wind may have contributed to the way the smell invaded the school.
He sent home a letter with students apologizing to families for the tar smell and describing plans not to do any more roofing tar work during school hours.
John Griffiths, grounds and maintenance supervisor for the district, said construction noise is also being gauged this week. Work may be scaled down during school hours, depending on the noise levels. The new classrooms are just one part of a multiphase project to renovate, upgrade and solarize Dana Gray. The district is working as fast as possible to get six new classrooms ready by Aug. 18.
“We have to have the classrooms ready before that, so that the teachers get into their classrooms before school starts,” Lund said.
Lund will be retired at the end of the year, with new Superintendent Donald Armstrong, coming from a district in Sonoma County to take the helm.
Lund had heard of no students requiring medical attention. He said toxic materials were not involved.
Russell said her sons had sore throats that day but no serious problems.
“My main reason for pulling the kids out wasn”t because they were sick but to say, no you can”t do this sort of thing during school,”” she said.
She said the constant noise of construction is tough enough on the learning process, especially for students who struggle with distractions.
“You don”t stand next to a tar barrel as an adult for four to five hours, and I don”t think students should be subjected to those kind of conditions either,” she said.
(Coming in two weeks: an in-depth look at Dana Gray modernization)
