Magnolia Elementary School in El Cajon is sitting on top of toxic waste. This is not recent news to the Cajon Valley Union School District, but it is new to many parents that have children that go there. A second parent has pulled their child from the school due to her son becoming sick with cold-like symptoms and throat irritation. She only learned about the problem from another parent and stated that since her son was removed from the school that all of the symptoms have receded.
Magnolia Elementary School in El Cajon is sitting on top of toxic waste. This is not recent news to the Cajon Valley Union School District, but it is new to many parents that have children that go there. A second parent has pulled their child from the school due to her son becoming sick with cold-like symptoms and throat irritation. She only learned about the problem from another parent and stated that since her son was removed from the school that all of the symptoms have receded.
The District is aware of the toxic groundwater plume beneath the school since 1987, a result of Ametek, the previous owner of an active manufacturing plant that is run by Senior Aerospace Ketema. Ametec is the responsible party for cleanup of this toxic waste dump.
The District is assuring parents on its website that it is doing extensive testing and monitoring now and has been doing so over many years.
A recent study done in August is now at the California Department of Toxic Substances for review and confirmation of the independent study. In the study, the report found numerous volatile organic compounds in the air, which are linked to symptoms and minor throat irritation, but also can cause kidney damage and cancer.
It is beyond my comprehension why this school is still open, allowing more than 500 children to be exposed six hours a day. And in many cases, these children attend the same school for six years.
Although, preliminary reports show the toxic levels show no “significant” threat, as a parent I would be yanking my children out of this school immediately. So many children have allergies and immune system problems that they do not even know about yet at this age. Many times these symptoms show up much later in life. Cancer is more susceptible in many families, and this is something proven by genetics. But, this is not something that would show up immediately.
Spending so much time surrounded by toxic organic compounds could lead to further problems down the road of life for these young kids and as a parent and grandparent it is not worth the risk.
The District needs to do more in ensuring the safety of the children at Magnolia, and parents need to be aware of the conditions of the school that their children are attending. Plain and simple, I would shut the school down in a heartbeat.
But we all know that the cost and inconvenience of this is a determining factor, but who is to know that when all of this testing is done that they find out that this is a real significant problem and a harmful health risk to the children that attend this school.
Parents need to get involved in this and encourage El Cajon city, state, county and national officials to step in and voice their opinions. Although they do not have decision-making tools to make immediate changes, these people that serve the community have a lot of weight that if they get involved can make a huge difference. The heart of this matter is whether or not we sit around and wait to see the real damage that this poses for the children, or take immediate action to ensure their safety regardless of the outcome. It is not worth the risk allowing these students to spend nearly a quarter of their childhood subjected to toxic waste.
