This article was updated at 4:38 p.m. to include additional information provided by MCPS spokesperson Jessica Baxter.
Construction at Poolesville High is causing students headaches and nausea, say families who testified about health concerns and called for solutions during a school board meeting last week. The board says it expects a team to reevaluate conditions at the school before spring break’s end on April 10.
“Overpowering odors” from the roof tarring project have made students feel nauseated, light-headed and dizzy, according to junior Daisy Dastrup, who told the board she spends 10 hours on campus every school day.
“Headaches from the fumes have made it difficult to focus in class,” she told the board. “I’m concerned that as these fumes are strong enough to cause headaches and other symptoms, exposure for months will be damaging to our health.”
The roofing is part of a $60.2 million construction project that will completely renovate the school facilities, according to MCPS data from the start of the project in 2020. The project includes nearly 150,000 square feet of new construction and 60,000 square feet of renovation, according to VMDO Architects’ website. Construction began in June 2022 and is set to be completed by the 2025-26 school year.
Students have been vocalizing construction-related safety concerns since the project first broke ground, according to parents. During construction, students are shuffled to other portions of the building or into trailers. They were not moved to a satellite location because there are no facilities available, according to MCPS spokesperson Jessica Baxter.
“MCPS often does construction at schools with students on location,” Baxter wrote.
On Feb. 14, the day tarring operations began, classes ended early due to the strong fumes being exacerbated by high winds. Baxter said there was a “temporary halt” in mid-March with tarring tank being removed from the site on March 17. She said there is approximately 13 weeks of work left to be completed, but “there is no anticipated date” for when that work will be resumed.
Safety is the district’s “top priority” during construction and renovation, according to Baxter. She wrote to MoCo360:
“MCPS staff and the school’s construction team have been meeting with the PTA monthly and conducts daily and weekly check-ins with the principal and school administration to listen to feedback and adapt its work plans to mitigate concerns.”
Clarksburg resident Krisna Becker has two daughters at Poolesville High, both in the MCPS global ecology program. Her oldest is set to graduate in May, and she said while the family has been happy with the program, they’re preparing to relocate their freshman next school year out of concerns for her health.
“My concern is just that my daughters are being exposed to toxic chemicals, and they have long-term effects,” she said in an interview. “They have both had acute symptoms—headaches and nausea. I would like to see students moved to a satellite location as soon as possible. This isn’t safe.”
Director of Facilities Management Seth Adams sent the Poolesville High community a letter on March 10 reassuring parents that their concerns were being addressed and reiterating the district’s commitment to following national and state safety guidelines during the construction project. Adams said the district has implemented several mitigation measures in response to community feedback about the fumes, including:
- Increasing how often odor neutralizer is added to the tarring tank to the maximum allowed
- Temporarily sealing doors and windows facing the direction of the construction zone
- Using classroom air filtration units in common areas
- Establishing an air quality monitoring program to track exposure levels until the project’s completion
Parent Susan Park reminded the board that AP examinations are approaching in May and asked that the board act “quickly and decisively” to ensure the fumes are contained before the end of spring break.
“To date, both students and staff have been forced to choose between their health or attendance at school, a choice one should never have to make at any school, yet which the entire school community now faces daily,” she said. “Each day matters.”
Responding to the concerns expressed at Tuesday’s meeting, board member Brenda Wolff (Dist. 5) reminded Chief Operating Officer Brian Hull that she had previously asked about “mitigation procedures” and knows a lot is being done. But she continued:
“I hope that after spring break we can go back out there again and be sure that nothing is going on. Because nothing is worse than sitting in a room getting fumes from tar being applied.”
