Parents are dealing with a smelly situation at Molly Brant Elementary School in Kingston. Several of them are voicing concerns about a strong odour that’s been hanging in the air — coming into the school’s classrooms and hallways. It’s apparently coming from the construction site of Kingston Secondary School next door, where workers are tarring the roof.
“My son would be sick to his stomach,” says Jennifer Kehoe, co-chair of the parent council at the school.
In some cases, parents are keeping their children at home to avoid the smelly problem.
Kehoe, who is a mother of two kids that attend the school is fed up with the lack of response over the issue. The co-chair, among other concerned parents, claim their children are experiencing a range of symptoms since the roof work began.
“I was getting calls to pick up my seven-year-old who was experiencing headaches, nausea, just not feeling very well,” says Kehoe.
She says she has been in communication with both the school’s principal and the school board’s superintendent — but it took two weeks for the board to send a letter to parents. She posted that letter on Facebook where a number of parents voiced their opinion about the matter.
The smell is looming over the neighbourhood where the roof work has been ongoing for the past two weeks. Several parents tell Global News that it’s not just the fact they weren’t informed about the issue earlier, but that the school hasn’t been completely transparent about the risks of the product.
“I do think that transparency is the No. 1 reason we are having problems at our school,” says Billy-Jo Hollywood. “Molly Brant did not inform me about what was going on and I’m very upset about that.”
“It actually makes me sick to my stomach that this has been happening and I wasn’t even notified,” says Karen Gilbert.
In the letter sent out Wednesday, officials addressed the concerns about the odour, saying they are working to alleviate the odour with changes to the airflow and are working diligently to ensure student and staff safety. But they added, “It’s important to note that these odours are simply a nuisance and result in only potential temporary discomfort.”
It’s a statement that didn’t sit well with Kehoe.
“At any point when a child has to leave a school community because of the smell and it’s making them sick, that is beyond a nuisance,” says Kehoe.
The roof work will take at least another two weeks to complete, weather permitting. Officials weren’t available for comment but say they encourage any parents with questions or concerns to contact the school.
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