U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a new letter to President Biden today, calling for the president to declare a federal emergency following the impending closure of Jana Elementary School in Florissant, Mo. due to reports of radioactive contamination and to authorize immediate federal relief for all families affected by the crisis.
The Hazelwood Board of Education made the decision on Tuesday night to close Jana Elementary School, forcing students to make the switch to virtual learning until the health risk is resolved. In light of the news, Senator Hawley is requesting that President Biden invoke measures for an emergency declaration to deliver relief to students and expedite cleanup.
On Tuesday afternoon, Senator Hawley sent a letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Lieutenant General Scott A. Spellmon demanding the Corps investigate reports of radioactive contamination at Jana Elementary School in Florissant, Mo.
In his new letter to President Biden, Senator Hawley said “The federal government bears ultimate responsibility for this situation, and it is your administration’s obligation to remedy it. The contamination at the school likely stems from federal activity in decades past.”
He continued, "The federal government should never subject children in this country to radioactive contamination in their schools. And parents and other residents of the area should not have to wait any longer for cleanup and relief."
Read the full letter here or below:
October 19, 2022
The Honorable Joseph R. Biden Jr.
President of the United States
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President,
I write regarding the emergency situation at Jana Elementary School in Florissant, Missouri. I call on you to declare a federal emergency and immediately authorize federal relief.
As you may know, recent chemical testing at Jana Elementary has revealed potential radioactive contamination in and around the school. As a result, the local school board has closed the facility. Students now lack access to in-person instruction. And parents are left with deep uncertainty about their children’s education and health, as well as the financial burden of having children once again home from school.
The federal government bears ultimate responsibility for this situation, and it is your administration’s obligation to remedy it. The contamination at the school likely stems from federal activity in decades past. For that reason, the area immediately adjacent to the school is already under the authority of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as part of the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program. The parents, children, and residents of this area have waited years for the federal government to complete its cleanup. Now their school is contaminated. They deserve immediate relief. You should act without delay to declare a federal emergency and authorize federal assistance.
Federal relief should focus on ridding the school and surrounding area of any and all contamination, immediately, drawing on all appropriate federal resources and personnel. If an immediate cleanup of the school area is not feasible, the federal government should provide funds to rebuild the school at an appropriate site. In the interim, the federal government should ensure children can access in-person instruction at an alternate facility. The government should also provide immediate relief to parents who must now miss work to care for small children at home and pay for other related educational expenses.
The federal government should never subject children in this country to radioactive contamination in their schools. And parents and other residents of the area should not have to wait any longer for cleanup and relief. The Army Corps has been “cleaning up” the contamination site for at least two decades. Enough is enough. I ask you to act without delay.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this critical matter.
Sincerely,
Josh Hawley
United States Senator
The Hazelwood Board of Education made the decision on Tuesday night to close Jana Elementary School, forcing students to make the switch to virtual learning until the health risk is resolved. In light of the news, Senator Hawley is requesting that President Biden invoke measures for an emergency declaration to deliver relief to students and expedite cleanup.
On Tuesday afternoon, Senator Hawley sent a letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Lieutenant General Scott A. Spellmon demanding the Corps investigate reports of radioactive contamination at Jana Elementary School in Florissant, Mo.
In his new letter to President Biden, Senator Hawley said “The federal government bears ultimate responsibility for this situation, and it is your administration’s obligation to remedy it. The contamination at the school likely stems from federal activity in decades past.”
He continued, "The federal government should never subject children in this country to radioactive contamination in their schools. And parents and other residents of the area should not have to wait any longer for cleanup and relief."
Read the full letter here or below:
October 19, 2022
The Honorable Joseph R. Biden Jr.
President of the United States
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President,
I write regarding the emergency situation at Jana Elementary School in Florissant, Missouri. I call on you to declare a federal emergency and immediately authorize federal relief.
As you may know, recent chemical testing at Jana Elementary has revealed potential radioactive contamination in and around the school. As a result, the local school board has closed the facility. Students now lack access to in-person instruction. And parents are left with deep uncertainty about their children’s education and health, as well as the financial burden of having children once again home from school.
The federal government bears ultimate responsibility for this situation, and it is your administration’s obligation to remedy it. The contamination at the school likely stems from federal activity in decades past. For that reason, the area immediately adjacent to the school is already under the authority of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as part of the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program. The parents, children, and residents of this area have waited years for the federal government to complete its cleanup. Now their school is contaminated. They deserve immediate relief. You should act without delay to declare a federal emergency and authorize federal assistance.
Federal relief should focus on ridding the school and surrounding area of any and all contamination, immediately, drawing on all appropriate federal resources and personnel. If an immediate cleanup of the school area is not feasible, the federal government should provide funds to rebuild the school at an appropriate site. In the interim, the federal government should ensure children can access in-person instruction at an alternate facility. The government should also provide immediate relief to parents who must now miss work to care for small children at home and pay for other related educational expenses.
The federal government should never subject children in this country to radioactive contamination in their schools. And parents and other residents of the area should not have to wait any longer for cleanup and relief. The Army Corps has been “cleaning up” the contamination site for at least two decades. Enough is enough. I ask you to act without delay.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this critical matter.
Sincerely,
Josh Hawley
United States Senator
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