A failing environmental health inspection has been circulating around the Benton Elementary School community, causing alarm for many parents and families.
The inspection, which took place on Wednesday, January 21, noted several violations, like:
- Exposed cracked piping and strong sewage odor in boys bathroom
- Kindergarten restroom overflowing when flushed
- Pre-K restroom with collapsing floor, greatly sinking in, cracking sound when standing on it
- Pooling, stagnant water in janitorial closet
- Several classrooms with tall bookshelves not secured to the walls or floors
- Missing tiles in classroom with subfloor exposed
- Numerous heavily damaged auditorium seats with rusted metal and wood splinters
Andrew Creasman’s daughter attended the school for kindergarten and first grade. He pulled her from the school last fall following a string of consistent illnesses.
“She was sick, staying sick constantly. And then she was talking about walking in water and stuff. I didn’t know what she was referring to,” said Creasman.
“Then I see the report, and see that sewage and stuff like that, and then it all kind of just made sense to me why she was having these bacteria infections and staying sick all the time. I haven’t had those problems since. I’ve since homeschooled her.”
He isn’t the only parent with this experience. His sister-in-law, Katilyn Adams, also has a daughter currently enrolled in the school.
She says her daughter was also experiencing one unexplained illness after another.
“There wasn’t a single week that she wasn’t sent home from school having issues with her stomach and throwing up.”
After several trips to the doctor, and even seeing a specialist, Adams was told her daughter’s illness was due to “being around other children”, but since the release of the report, she believe the school’s hazardous conditions were partly to blame.
She said, “You get that report, and there’s a validation, and then there’s, I guess, the anger because they’re not doing anything about it.”
Since the report, Adams’ daughter hasn’t returned to school, and she says she is now working to get her enrolled in a different school system.
“We’re a small town. We don’t have $90 million to build a new school. And that is completely understandable, but there has to be something in the funds to fix sewage leaks for the children and floors falling in for the children,” she added.
Now, the Polk County School District is addressing the report:
“Benton Elementary is an older facility, and many of the items noted reflect long-standing infrastructure challenges. Several concerns were corrected during the inspection, and our project manager and maintenance teams are actively working to address all remaining items, with priority given to critical health and safety needs.”
Plans are also in place to improve and remodel the auditorium this summer as part of the school’s ongoing efforts to enhance the school’s facilities, the district says.
While ongoing repairs are necessary, they say they recognize the need for long-term solutions.
“Polk County Schools is also working collaboratively with county leadership and community partners to address both immediate needs and long-term facility improvements,” they said in a statement on social media. “We appreciate the county’s continued partnership and shared commitment to investing in safe learning environments for our students.”
Local 3 is working to hear from families at Benton Elementary. If you’re interested in speaking with us, email ahoward@local3news.com.
link