Majority Black Louisiana elementary school to shut down amid lawsuits over toxic air exposure

Get Nadine White's Race Report newsletter for a fresh perspective on the week's news Get our free newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent Get our free newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Denka's spokesperson said the EPA is relying on “an overly conservative risk assessment.” In June, the NAACP's Legal Defense Fund filed a separate motion for the school board to shut down the elementary school, arguing the board had clear evidence of the health risks Denka posed to students. The school board's Director of Risk Management Alvarez Hertzock III said the district is taking the issues raised in the lawsuit “extremely seriously.” In several public hearings held by the school board earlier this year to discuss closing 5th Ward Elementary, some parents and teachers spoke emotionally against breaking up the school's tight-knit community. He also said the board's proposed solution would fail to meaningfully end most students' exposure to Denka's pollution by moving many to another school, East St. John Preparatory, less than 1 mile from the facility. Legal Defense Fund attorney Victor Jones said the school board had dragged its feet for far too long and should remove students from 5th Ward Elementary immediately, not the following school year.