ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo.—U.S. Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo. introduced legislation that matches a U.S. Senate bill designed to address concerns over potential nuclear contamination fears in the Hazelwood School District. It comes on the same day the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released new findings that it says further confirms the safety of one of the school district's buildings.

What You Need To Know

  • U.S. Rep. Cori Bush and U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley  have sponsored the Justice for Jana Elementary Act of 2023, which would mandate testing of all Hazelwood School District sites for radioactive waste

  • Jana Elementary School, located in Florissant has been closed since last fall when tests paid for by attorneys in a class action lawsuit revealed contamination on the property, which sits near Coldwater Creek, which has been the site of an ongoing federal cleanup of Manhattan Project-era nuclear waste for decades
  • Students and teachers have moved to other district schools. The district said there is no expectation Jana Elementary will reopen

Tuesday, the Army Corps of Engineers released the first of what it said would be three final reports based on its testing, which still reach the same conclusion found in November.

“This final report builds upon the preliminary results we shared with the community last November and provides additional data from our structural surveys and sampling, all of which have confirmed that there are no radiological concerns within the school,” said Phil Moser, St. Louis District program manager for the Formery Utiized Sites Remedial Action Program, or FUSRAP.

In one example, the report concluded that higher concentrations of lead-210 was the result of natural processes and not from contaminated sediment or soil brought from Coldwater Creek to the school site.

Hazelwood School officials have asked for the Army Corps of Engineers to test all district property. The USACE tested a total of three sites and said it found no scientific basis for more.

In addition to mandating that testing, the federal legislation would order a U.S. Energy Department review of the previous Army Corps of Engineers testing, set new remediation goals for the Jana Elementary site, and create a federal fund for schools impacted by Manhattan Project-era waste to cover costs of testing or new school buildings.

“Clean up under this proposed legislation sets the important standard that radioactive waste, at all levels above background level (or natural radiation) is an unnecessary and dangerous risk, to which no child or teacher should ever be exposed,” Jana Elementary School President Ashley Bernbaugh said in a statement released by Bush’s office. “Our schools and greater community deserve protection from environmental hazards and restorative justice. People throughout the St. Louis Region have experienced decades of exposure to radioactive contamination; accountability and solutions for such are long overdue." 

A spokesperson for the Hazelwood School District said the district wasn’t commenting on the legislation or the new data from the Army Corps of Engineers.

“The Board and administration recognize that the closure of Jana Elementary and the subsequent redistricting of students and reassignment of staff to other district schools has not been an easy transition,” the spokesperson said.

“However, there is no expectation that Jana Elementary will reopen, and students and staff will remain at their current schools. At the same time, we are encouraged by the resilience our Hazelwood School District community has shown throughout this season of change and uncertainty. As we look to the future, we are committed to supporting all of our students and staff in fully embracing their new school communities.” 

Hawley indicated in a social media that he would speak on the Senate floor about it Wednesday.