Protesters Call For Evacuation Of Nichols Junior High
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ARLINGTON (CBS11) - A protest outside Arlington ISD's Thursday night board meeting called for the evacuation of Nichols Junior High over concerns the campus is making people sick.
"There's something there. You can smell it when you come into the building," said Kaneia Harris, one of 17 plaintiffs suing the district.
Her 13-year-old son attends the school.
She says the 7th grader has experienced headaches and recently developed asthma.
She's even felt sick herself.
"I went one day to pick him up and my head started hurting," she said.
A man identifying himself only as "Mike" said his family member works on campus.
"The only time she's sick is when she's at the school," he said.
Joined by the NAACP's Arlington chapter, the group called on the school board to take action.
"Remove the students and staff from the building, remove them, fix it, and return them," said chapter president Alisa Simmons.
The district has turned to multiple private and government groups to test carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide levels throughout the schools, collected airborne mold samples to determine spore concentration, and review reported symptoms and their frequency.
Reports show plumbing repairs were done, air conditioning units and vents were inspected and possible sources of sewer gas were sealed off.
Still, no definite cause for the illnesses was ever discovered.
"They're not doing the right tests. They're covering it up. They're not being upfront with us," said Harris.
