March 14--When David Fields learned "above-normal lead levels" had been discovered in Holy Angels Catholic School, the announcement appeared to be a nightmarish case of deja vu for the Bronzeville parent.
Fields' 12-year-old son, Elijah, had attended St. Elizabeth Elementary School from kindergarten until last fall, when the school was permanently closed because of unsafe levels of lead found in paint. Elijah, now in sixth grade, was among the students who transferred to Holy Angels, where high levels of lead were "recently discovered" in an older section of the building that houses the gymnasium, according to school officials.
"I was furious," Fields said. "Why would you take our kids from a dangerous situation and put them in an even worse situation? This is just infuriating to think the archdiocese would do something like this with kids, some who are in preschool and are only 4 or 5 years old."
After canceling classes for several days last week, Holy Angels will reopen Monday, Principal Siobhan Cafferty said in a letter to parents last week. Students are expected to be relocated to the newer section of the school "where testing has confirmed there is no lead-containing dust and there is a properly running mechanical system," Cafferty said.
After discussing the situation with his son, Fields said Elijah would return to school.
"I talked with my son to see how he feels," Fields said. "And he said he wanted to go back. So, I'm going to respect his decision."
Archdiocese of Chicago and Chicago Department of Public Health representatives are expected to hold an information session for families at 6 p.m. Monday in the school cafeteria, Cafferty said.
"The number one priority of CDPH in this matter is the safety and well-being of the students at Holy Angels School," the health department said in a statement. "We have been working closely with the Archdiocese and school officials since we became aware that they voluntarily closed their school due to an issue with lead. Once notified, we followed our protocols and sent inspectors from our lead program to the school immediately. We will continue to monitor the situation and work closely with the school to ensure lead is removed as a hazard."
The school will also collaborate with St. Bernard Hospital in offering free lead screenings for students from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, Cafferty said.
Fields, however, took his son to Bronzeville Medical Center to get tested Friday.
"I do not trust the archdiocese to give us proper results," Fields said. "So, I took it upon myself to find out whether he's been exposed or not."
Fields was told he would get Elijah's test results in two or three days.
The archdiocese did not say how high the lead levels were or how long children may have been exposed before the school was closed this week.
Federal authorities warn that nearly all lead that is inhaled is absorbed into the body, while 20 percent to 70 percent of ingested lead is absorbed.
Dust with lead particles is believed to have been produced from mechanical repairs in the school, Cafferty said. She gave no details of the work that was being done or how it apparently spread the dust through the school.
The students will remain in the newer section while contractors and environmental engineers work to clean and complete "lead abatements" in the older section by March 25. Cafferty did not say what those measures would entail.
The next week, during spring break, the gymnasium will be repainted, Cafferty said.
Students are expected to return to their normal classrooms and have full use of the school building and its facilities April 4, Cafferty said.
tbriscoe@tribpub.com
