Students of Kyrene de la Sierra Elementary School in Ahwatukee are set to make their return to campus after months of displacement due to air quality issues. According to FOX 10 Phoenix, the Kyrene School District has announced these students will resume classes at their original school site starting January 6, 2026, marking the beginning of the second semester. District Superintendent Laura Toenjes stated, "We can’t wait to welcome students and staff back to a safe, clean and fully restored Sierra campus."
As part of the transition, students will be assigned work to complete at home for attendance credit on Dec. 19. This is a move by the district to maintain continuity in education while the campus remained closed. Earlier this month, formal air quality testing by Dominion Environmental Consultants revealed that the previously detected chemical levels have been "significantly reduced or eliminated," as obtained by FOX 10 Phoenix from district officials. The testing showed that no roofing product-related chemicals were found in the December 5th laboratory report, mitigating initial concerns that sparked the relocation.
It was earlier in August this year when the school's indoor air quality levels were reported as severe, necessitating a shift to remote learning just two weeks into the new school year. According to a report by 12News, the levels of total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) recorded at that time were 14,000 ng/L, which is well above the U.S. Green Building Council's recommended limit of 500 ng/L. The concerning air quality results arose amidst a roof replacement project that was underway at the school.
The presence of high particulate levels led to a series of measures by the district, including relocating students to nearby Kyrene Altadeña Middle School and Kyrene de los Cerritos Elementary School for an interim period. While the school did not conduct interviews on the issue, a statement by a Kyrene School District spokesperson to 12News explained, "Kyrene is consulting with the appropriate experts and will continue to share their reports and analysis on our website. Thank you for your patience as we navigate this challenging situation one step at a time." This addressed concerns and the commitment to communicate with the community as clean-up efforts progressed.
Dominion's report from December highlighted that major contributors to the remaining TVOC levels were from cleaning product chemicals, a part of the deep cleaning efforts undertaken within the school. With the district's regular updates provided to parents and the community, the eventual restoration of air quality to safe levels has paved the way for the upcoming return of students and staff to Sierra’s campus for the fresh start of the second term in the new year.
