New letters sent to parents from the Duval County school district reveal contamination on school grounds. Letters are dated late August, but many parents tell Action News Jax they just got them.
We know at least two schools are dealing with this issue.
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After doing some digging, I found out that the preexisting soil contamination for Highlands Elementary and Baldwin Middle-Senior High School are spills from underground storage tanks used for onsite heating.
The district claims it doesn’t pose a significant health risk to kids.
Here’s a look at one of the letters sent out to parents about the preexisting soil contamination. It gives parents toll-free information lines to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and Health if they have any questions.
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I tried calling and neither picked up.
“I would feel that they need to get somebody out here to find out what is the contamination and what are the health risk to the kids,” a local resident said.
After leaving voicemails with both toll-free numbers, I found out from an environmental manager at FDEP’s Northeast District that both Highlands Elementary and Baldwin Middle-Senior High have had these tanks for years.
Highlands Elementary’s spill was noticed back in 1987 after someone saw an underground discharge. The school has two tanks underground, one that is 35 gallons and another of 6,000 gallons.
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Baldwin Middle-Senior High School noticed the leak the following year in 1988 after a construction worker cut into some nearby pavement. Underground is a 5,000-gallon tank that was placed there back in 1949.
“I wouldn’t want my kids to go there at all. I wouldn’t want them to be in any area that could make them sick,” a local resident said.
At this time DCPS has said that the contamination found on both school grounds does not pose a significant health risk. One of FDEP’s Northeast District managers tells me that petroleum cleanup for both locations is monitored every year and has been monitored quarterly by environmental supervisors for the city since 2020. The manager added that sites like this can be monitored for up to 50 years and longer if necessary.
I have emailed DCPS and left a voicemail with one of the city’s environmental science supervisors to find out if there is any risk. I also asked how many schools in total are on contaminated soil. I am still waiting to hear back. However, DCPS has reached out to let me know that they plan to have answers for me in the next few days.
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