District shuts Kennedy High, moves swim programs after PCE discovery

West Contra Costa Unified School District announced the closure of Kennedy High School to all staff and students on Monday, after preliminary soil-vapor tests found the chemical tetrachloroethylene, also known as PCE, under the campus.

In a letter to the Kennedy community, Superintendent Cheryl Cotton said the district received the preliminary results Friday. The California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) told the district the numbers don't point to an immediate health risk, but the state wants more testing before it will say the campus is safe.

"At this time, out of an abundance of caution, WCCUSD is making the immediate determination that all staff and students are not allowed to enter the Kennedy High School campus until additional testing is completed," Cotton said.

Image/ Department of Toxic Substances Control

Richmond has seen PCE problems before. The state expanded testing near the Miraflores Senior Apartments last year after finding PCE in the soil and groundwater there, and looked at a former Montgomery Ward store and a shuttered dry cleaner on San Pablo Avenue as possible sources. No source was ever confirmed.

This spring, the owners of that dry cleaner, Omo's Fabricare, agreed to pay the state $100,800. State regulators said the owners never followed through on a 2023 order to clean up PCE that had spread into nearby soil, groundwater and indoor air.

Cotton's letter said the district is working with the state, the California Department of Education and the city of Richmond to plan next steps as the school year gets closer.

The district is also talking with Kennedy staff, labor groups and community partners. The letter didn't say where students and staff would go if the campus is still closed when classes start, or when the district plans to announce that.

"We recognize the urgency of this situation and that this is a concerning update as the start of the school year is rapidly approaching," Cotton wrote. "We want to assure our community and staff that we will continue operating swiftly, transparently, and with the utmost care for the health and safety of all of our students and staff."

The Richmond Swim Center is also closed. The district says swim classes will move to the Richmond Plunge, 1 East Richmond Avenue, in the meantime.

The closure comes in the middle of a major rebuild at Kennedy. WCCUSD staff told the school board on July 15 that crews had dug the site's elevator pit and finished wiring in electrical service for a new classroom building and a combined dining and performing-arts space. Materials that take months to order, like structural steel and heating and cooling equipment, are next.

Not the first closure

WCCUSD has closed a campus on short notice before. Almost two years to the day before Monday's announcement, the district temporarily closed Stege Elementary School after crews doing summer repair work found unspecified environmental hazards there.

That closure came months after Public Advocates, a legal advocacy group, filed a complaint accusing the district of leaving teacher vacancies and poor building conditions unaddressed at several schools, including Kennedy, Stege and Helms Middle School.

YOU GET MORE WITH A PAID SUBSCRIPTION

Your subscription enables Grandview Independent to deliver more:

More time devoted to in-depth reporting
Longer, more comprehensive stories
Greater coverage of what matters to our community

Quality journalism costs money. Subscriptions allow us to keep reporting the stories that matter, without paywalls getting in the way of critical community information.

CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE - Starting at just $10/month

FOLLOW US FOR BREAKING NEWS:
• Twitter: @GrandviewIndy
• Instagram: @GrandviewIndependent
• Facebook: @Grandview Independent