Students in one Missouri elementary school have been shifted to virtual learning after a report showed high levels of contamination from radioactive waste from a creek near the school.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says the community around Jana Elementary School in Florissant deserves a second opinion, and began its testing Monday.
Preliminary results are expected within two weeks.
The initial independent report was done by Boston Chemical Data Corporation in August, KTVI reports. It found high levels of radioactive contamination throughout the school and outside the school, including the playground.
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On Friday the TV station caught video of crews loading up desks, tables and other furniture from the school.
The Hazelwood School District said some furniture has been removed after following suggested cleaning protocols by an engineer that has been working with the district, and a hazardous material cleanup company.
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The school sits on a flood plain of Coldwater Creek, which was contaminated by nuclear waste from weapons production during World War II.
"I would like them to test all of this," 88-year-old Elsie Heimbuecher, who lives across from the school told The St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "You aren’t going to be able to sell these houses. Had I known, we would have not moved here."
The cleanup of the creek is reportedly supposed to be finished by 2038.
