Headaches, nosebleeds, fatigue and dizziness have prompted parents at a Long Beach elementary school to demand answers, with families accusing the school district of failing to take their children’s unexplained illnesses seriously.
About 30 parents and students gathered outside Monroe Elementary School on Friday morning to protest and seek information about what may be making children sick. The campus is temporarily hosting students from nearby Patrick Henry Elementary while that school undergoes upgrades.
“We have EIGHT more months of school, and we deserve to send our kids to school with zero doubts that there is cause for concern,” parent Katie Jakemer wrote on social media.
Parents told the Long Beach Post that the symptoms have been concentrated in a fourth-grade classroom. In a letter to families, the Long Beach Unified School District acknowledged that the classroom teacher experienced dizziness and that four students had nosebleeds.
The school brought in an outside company to evaluate the classroom environment. The resulting report recorded temperatures reaching 102.6 degrees, elevated humidity and low levels of certain pollutants, including carbon monoxide.
The findings, however, have done little to reassure concerned families.
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“They’re just keeping us in the dark,” said Ricky Marengo, whose daughter has experienced headaches. He said the district did not provide the complete report until parents pressed for it.
Jakemer also questioned whether the inspection was thorough enough. She pointed to the report’s recommendation for additional mold sampling and said boxes and paper materials were not moved during the testing.
“This issue is not resolved,” she said.
Even as parents continue to raise concerns, the Long Beach Unified School District said some students who had been temporarily relocated from the classroom would return Monday.
“Given that the report found no indoor source of mold or evidence of water damage, the District does not plan further testing at this time,” the district said in a statement.
The district’s position has fueled calls from families for more testing and an independent expert’s second opinion. Some parents said they plan to keep their children home until they receive clearer answers about the cause of the reported symptoms.
“I want to be able to drop her off and know she’s safe,” parent Sofiya Tormo said of her daughter.