ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — Inside Saint Louis University’s College for Public Health and Social Justice on Wednesday morning, key conversations crowded the classroom for a technical forum.
Speakers reviewed the science behind the investigation at Jana Elementary in the Hazelwood School District.
Multiple groups shared results of reported radioactivity on the school's property.
Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP), under the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, cleans up sites with contamination resulting from the nation’s early atomic energy program.
FUSRAP was there to present its findings.
It shared that they believe Jana Elementary is safe from a radiological standpoint.
FUSRAP also said there's low-level radioactive contamination on the banks of Coldwater Creek, which is on the edge of Jana's property boundary.
On Jan. 27, 2022, the district received a letter from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that soil sampling showed a presence of that low-level radioactive contamination.
Robin Parks is the Senior Lead Engineer for FUSRAP and has been with that specific program since 1998 and with the corps for 32 years.
"It is in the Coldwater Creek bank about 650 feet from the school and our design is in process and to be in place to remove that this summer," he said. "It should take four to six months."
But the conflict here is if it goes further than this area and the quantity of it.
A private group, Boston Chemical Data Corp. also tested Jana Elementary eight months ago to get results for a class action lawsuit.
Marco Kaltofen, the civil engineer and president of the investigative team, claims there are high levels of radioactive waste in and around the school.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says otherwise.
"Our reports are pretty similar, it’s the interpretation of the data that’s different," Parks said.
The two conflicting reports caused the school to shut down and just this week, the U.S. Army Corps released one of three reports.
"It’s the evaluation that determines if there is contamination above our remedial goal. Yes or no and the conclusion is there is none," Parks said.
Parks said they've even hired an independent group to test 34 other schools in the Hazelwood School District
"We have hired the Army Geospatial Center to do an independent evaluation using aerial photos and historical documentation if there is any soil movement from Coldwater Creek taken off-site to include Hazelwood School District that we may have missed," he told 5 On Your Side. "If there is evidence to any other property, we will investigate that. Some of the schools aren't even close to the creek."
While the reports may vary, the goal to keep kids safe remains the same.
"We are just making sure that there isn't something we don't now about that can link to contamination," Parks said.
Safety has always been at the forefront for Ashley Bernaugh, Jana PTA President.
"I was obligated to speak. If community means anything, that means sometimes, we have to do the really uncomfortable and unpopular thing and be willing to do whatever that takes," she said.
FUSRAP has two final reports still under development and should be released within the next few months.
Once this happens, there will be a public meeting and for now, it could be held in June.