The Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District, in Edinburg, Texas, announced the partial closure of Canterbury Elementary School after discovering E. coli contamination in floorboards and walls following a sewage overflow incident.
The district held a press conference Monday at the school to outline relocation plans for affected students and detail safety measures being implemented, according to valleycentral.com.
According to district officials, the initial sewage issue was reported on March 29, prompting overnight mitigation work by maintenance crews. The City of Edinburg subsequently evaluated the campus and cleared it for reopening, stating no airborne contaminants were detected.
However, more than a month later, on Sunday, April 28, district officials made the decision to close portions of the school after testing revealed E. coli contamination in building materials in several wings of the facility.
Benjamin Castillo, legal counsel for Edinburg CISD, announced that the Pre-K 3, Pre-K 4, Kindergarten, first grade, and second grade wings will remain closed for the remainder of the school year. Students from these affected areas will be relocated to Freddy Gonzalez Elementary School beginning Tuesday, April 29.
Third through fifth grade classrooms were not affected by the sewage overflow and will continue operating at Canterbury Elementary. Castillo emphasized that these unaffected portions of the campus remain safe for student occupancy.
Students remaining at Canterbury will stay in their respective classrooms throughout the day, including during lunch periods, with the exception of physical education classes. Meals will be prepared at Robert Vela High School and delivered directly to classrooms.
The district is implementing additional safety protocols, including completely sealing off the contaminated sections of the building and establishing precautionary measures to protect students and staff from potential exposure.
The contamination was traced back to a flood and sewage overflow incident that occurred on March 26, which damaged significant portions of the school property. District officials indicated that comprehensive remediation will be necessary before the affected areas can be reopened.
Parents attended the Monday afternoon news conference where officials presented the timeline of events leading to the partial closure decision and answered questions about the relocation process and safety measures.
The district has not announced when the affected portions of Canterbury Elementary will reopen, but remediation work is expected to continue through the summer months.
Commenting on this article, the nation’s leading E. coli lawyer said, “An E. coli infection can be especially dangerous to small children. School authorities must take serious measures to protect the students from sickness.”
