The Superintendent of Le Roy Central School District in Genesee County is blasting environmentalist Erin Brockovich.
Superintendent Kim Cox said the attempt by Brockovich's investigators to collect soil samples from school grounds represents an intrusion to the district.
Brockovich entered the mystery that surrounds an indeterminent illness afflicting some students at the high school when she appeared on CNN. Brockovich said attributing anything to toxic contamination represented hearsay until soil and vapor testing proved otherwise.
A team was sent over the weekend by Brockovich to collect samples, but was not allowed on school property. Cox issued a statement on Saturday, January 28th, 2012 following the visit.
"This morning, without any prior notice to the District, camera crews from a number of
media sources, including both national and local outlets, entered District property for the
purpose of filming an unidentified individual taking soil samples," said Cox. "It is appalling that whatever group or entity employing this individual, as well as the media outlets participating in this effort, chose to conduct themselves in this way - which can only be characterized as grandstanding. Not only was this criminal activity which forced the District to call in local law enforcement to maintain the security of its property,
it disrupted the District’s preparations for a weekend music event involving students from
over twenty-two schools as well as other student activities. No legitimate organization
would function in this manner."
Off-duty police officers have been guarding school property since the television appearance. Cox said the unauthorized investigation is not only disruptive but criminal.
Congresswoman Kathy Hochul said she is sympathic to the concerns of the district and families and will do what she can to provide access to any resources that might help find an answer.
“The last several months have been challenging for the community of LeRoy. While we are all are anxious for answers, it’s important that we allow medical and environmental experts to collect the facts and accurately identify the source of this unusual and unfortunate situation. Our top priority must be to protect the health and safety of the community of LeRoy and to this end, my office has been in contact with various federal agencies, like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Environmental Protection Agency. As a Representative of this community, I’m committed to ensuring that the residents of LeRoy have access to the resources needed to fully understand this situation.”
In November, parents first received an alert from the district explaining that a group of students developed what appears to be Tourette- like symptoms.
The following is a statement issued by Superintendent Cox to the district:
January 27, 2012
Our community has suddenly found itself at the center of national attention due to the students who have been exhibiting neurological symptoms. This has led to much speculation, conjecture and misinformation in the national media and consequently within our community. While many of these individuals and organizations may have the best of intentions, our District and community need to ensure we are receiving sound advice from highly qualified professionals, void of self-interest.
From the outset, the School District has been coordinating with the Genesee County Health Department, the New York State Department of Health, the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). We continue to work with these agencies and members of the medical community on a daily basis. Independently, we have hired Leader Professional Services, Inc., an environmental hygiene and safety services company, to review the environmental testing that has been conducted to-date within the school and the community. Leader will determine if they have additional recommendations for how to proceed based upon their review. It is our hope that the recent offer of assistance by the National Institutes of Health will also help to shed light on this situation. Be assured that we will continue to work with these organizations to complete a thorough review of the matter. We know that our affected students and parents will work with their own private health care professionals and we will continue to support them in their recoveries.
We also want to assure all parents that the Board, administration, teachers, staff and I have not lost sight that we have a responsibility to all of our 1286 students who are still trying to focus and work hard to prepare themselves for the next step in their advancement, whether it is progressing to the next grade, admission to the college of their choice, or pursuing their chosen vocation. The medical professionals have been clear that the best thing we can do as a district and community for the wellbeing of all our students is to provide an emotionally stable environment and normalcy to their daily lives. Our staff has been working hard to do so and will continue their good work with our students every day.
In closing, we are aware of the many views and theories that individuals have brought forward as the root cause of the symptoms. We implore the media and others to be mindful that speculation and accusations without facts or in-depth medical and scientific knowledge is harmful and disruptive to the emotional wellbeing of our students. It can negatively impact the ability of the professionals who are dealing directly with the issue and working hard to gain a clear understanding of the situation to expedite the process and restore the health of our affected students.
Kim M. Cox
Superintendent of Schools
You can read more about the Le Roy District's investigation and testing, including results of an Indoor Air Quality Investigation and Indoor Air Quality: Mold Sampling Results at the district's Website: http://www.leroycsd.org/district.cfm?subpage=1458956.