The St. John the Baptist Parish School Board in Louisiana has voted to close Fifth Ward Elementary School, located very close to a petrochemical plant known for releasing cancer-causing chloroprene. As reported by News4JAX, this mostly Black school is caught in a legal battle involving multiple lawsuits against Denka Performance Elastomer LLC, the nearby plant making neoprene.
The closure, expected to commence in the 2025-2026 school year, raises questions beyond the merely environmental. The school board's President, Shawn Wallace, cited "financial reasons due to low enrollment throughout the district" as the primary motive, as articulated in an interview by KXAN. Board member Nia Mitchell-Williams suggested that the real issue was the ongoing desegregation lawsuit, putting pressure on the board.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has previously flagged Denka's facility, located alongside the Mississippi River Chemical Corridor, colloquially known as "Cancer Alley," for its alarming chloroprene emissions. According to a 2023 federal complaint referenced by Nola.com, concentrations were found to be more than four times the advised limits, with the school situated within a census tract with the nation's highest cancer risk from air pollution.
Expressions of concern for the disruption of the school's close-knit community were poignantly highlighted, particularly by the school's principal, Rajean Butler, who shared during a public hearing, "I'm speaking from my heart and I'm saying please don't do this for our babies, our families. I just can't imagine the thought of them being in a place where they are not loved" — a sentiment obtained from News4JAX. Yet the school board also has to contend with the logistics of transferring several hundred students to other schools within the district, as reported by KXAN, with the superintendent indicating a commitment to a smooth transition.
Despite Denka's assertions of reduced emissions and criticisms aimed at the EPA's risk assessments, the grave health concerns for the students of Fifth Ward Elementary, carried on the air they breathe, remain a central issue. Victor Jones, an attorney with the NAACP’s Legal Defense Fund, strongly contended the students' immediate removal from the facility is critical for their safety, advocating that "The board has an ongoing and continued obligation to operate healthy and safe facilities for children," in a statement to News4JAX.
