Louisiana School Shuts Down Over Toxic Emissions

Louisiana School Shuts Down Over Toxic Emissions \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ A Louisiana school board voted to close 5th Ward Elementary, a predominantly Black school near a petrochemical plant accused of emitting carcinogenic chloroprene at dangerous levels. The decision comes amid lawsuits highlighting health risks for the community, despite community pushback and concerns about student displacement. The school board cited financial reasons, but others pointed to legal and environmental justice pressures.

Louisiana School Closure Amid Pollution Concerns: Quick Looks

• School Board Vote: A 7-4 vote approved closing 5th Ward Elementary by 2025-2026.
• Proximity to Plant: The school sits near Denka Performance Elastomer LLC, a facility emitting chloroprene linked to cancer.
• EPA Involvement: A 2023 federal complaint claims Denka’s emissions greatly exceed safe limits.
• Community Response: Principal and community members expressed deep emotional concerns about breaking up the school’s tight-knit environment.
• Legal Background: NAACP’s Legal Defense Fund argued that keeping the school open violated desegregation orders.
• Mixed Reactions: While the board cited financial motives, some members pointed to ongoing lawsuits and health risks as the driving force.
• Health Risks: Air monitoring shows chloroprene levels up to 15 times the EPA’s recommended limits.
• Relocation Issues: Students will be moved to nearby schools, with one also close to the facility, raising further concerns.

Deep Look

A recent decision by the St. John the Baptist Parish school board in southeast Louisiana has stirred deep emotions and raised questions about environmental justice and public health. On Thursday, the board voted 7 to 4 to close 5th Ward Elementary, a predominantly Black school situated near a petrochemical plant that has been the subject of multiple lawsuits due to its toxic emissions. This school, located less than a quarter mile from Denka Performance Elastomer LLC’s facility, faces potential dangers from chloroprene emissions, which the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has flagged as posing an “unacceptable” cancer risk.

Denka Performance Elastomer LLC produces neoprene, a synthetic rubber used in various everyday items such as wetsuits and laptop sleeves. However, the EPA’s 2023 federal complaint against the company noted that emissions from the facility release chloroprene at levels up to 15 times higher than what is deemed safe for long-term exposure. The EPA attributes these emissions to significantly elevated cancer risks for the surrounding communities in St. John the Baptist Parish, which already bear the highest estimated cancer risks in the country.

The Biden administration, which has funneled billions into addressing environmental justice, has made Denka’s emissions a focal point in its efforts to hold industrial polluters accountable, especially in minority neighborhoods. This region, known as the Mississippi River Chemical Corridor or “Cancer Alley,” spans 85 miles between New Orleans and Baton Rouge and is heavily industrialized. The plant’s parent company, Tokyo-based Denka, has contested the EPA’s orders to reduce emissions, arguing that its monitoring reports show progress and accusing the agency of using “distorted” science. The EPA has rejected these claims, noting that recent data still points to emission levels four times above its acceptable limits.

The school board’s vote follows a motion filed by the NAACP’s Legal Defense Fund earlier this year, which urged the board to shut down 5th Ward Elementary immediately due to the proven health risks to students. The Legal Defense Fund emphasized that the school board’s actions could violate longstanding desegregation orders by disproportionately endangering Black students when other safer schooling options are available within the district.

During public hearings earlier in the year, parents, teachers, and Principal Rajean Butler voiced passionate opposition to closing the school. Butler, whose own child attends 5th Ward Elementary, described the school’s deep sense of community and emotional bonds. “I created a space where every child is beloved like my own,” Butler said, pleading for the board to reconsider. The proposed closure left many worried about the emotional and educational impacts on the students, who would be relocated to two other schools in the area.

School Board President Shawn Wallace stated that the decision to close the school stemmed solely from financial reasons, citing declining enrollment throughout the district. However, board member Nia Mitchell-Williams argued that the desegregation lawsuit and associated health concerns were the real driving factors, suggesting that closing the school preemptively avoided federal court intervention.

Board member Raydel Morris, representing the 5th Ward neighborhood, voted against the closure, arguing that it would leave another empty building in a predominantly Black area and fail to address the primary health issue. “We taking them from the front door and putting them in the backyard,” Morris said, referring to the planned move of many students to East St. John Preparatory, located less than a mile from Denka’s plant.

Legal Defense Fund attorney Victor Jones criticized the board’s delayed action and advocated for an immediate closure, emphasizing that keeping 5th Ward Elementary open continued to put children in danger. Jones pointed out that relocating students to East St. John Preparatory would still expose them to high levels of chloroprene.

Superintendent Cleo Perry acknowledged the difficulty of school consolidations but appeared unconcerned about potential health risks for students being relocated. His focus, he said, was on ensuring a smooth transition for families and staff. “Our goal right now is to work with our community to make the best transition possible,” Perry stated.

As the closure plan proceeds, many community members are left grappling with the dual reality of losing a cherished school and continuing to face the health challenges posed by nearby industrial emissions. This decision, positioned at the intersection of financial constraints, legal pressures, and public health, marks another chapter in the region’s ongoing battle for environmental and educational justice.

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