Preschool students are going to be heading to A.V. Norrell Elementary tomorrow for their first day back to school, and their first day at Norrell. Parents for Life, the anti-Norrell parents’ group that played a large part in having the school shut down in 2006, will be maintaining a non-intrusive presence outside of the school from 7am- 4pm. The time slot is divided into shifts, and they need more folks to commit to holding signs and handing out information related to the school.
In brief: Norrell was built on an improperly capped landfill in the late 1960s, and has subsequently had problems with explosive methane gas filtering up from the underlying dump. There have been compounding problems with mold, lead, infestation, and a burst sewage line; the site is on the waiting list for EPA evaluation, to determine if it ought to be added to the National Priorities List and designated a Superfund site. Unsurprisingly, this is all happening in Barton Heights, a mostly poor, mostly black neighborhood.
Here is the first research report compiled by myself and two colleagues working with Parents for Life. Expect another when more of the documentation is found.
Please see the title link to sign up for a shift or RSVP.
