Hazelwood School District

The measure introduced by Sen. Josh Hawley has a companion version proposed in the House by Rep. Cori Bush.

St. Louis Public Radio has selected eight winners for the 2023 St. Louis Public Radio Teen Photojournalist Prize, including Marquette High School senior Gemma Speichinger, who won Best in Show.

The Hazelwood School District announced the decision at its school board meeting earlier this week. It comes about five months after a report found radioactive contamination at the school in north St. Louis County that is near Coldwater Creek.

The Hazelwood School District hired a for-profit company to address the district’s teacher shortage. Many Hazelwood students attend school in person, only to be taught via on-screen instruction by a teacher who is hundreds or thousands of miles away.

Some families were hoping students would be able to stay together after news that the school would close because of concerns of radioactive contamination, but instead they are being spread out across multiple schools.

Preliminary results from the Army Corps of Engineers contradict a recent report from a private firm that found “unacceptable levels” of radioactive contamination in the Jana Elementary school.

Community outreach about radioactive waste has been left largely to local environmental organizations.

U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley and U.S. Rep. Cori Bush called on the federal government to complete an immediate cleanup of Jana Elementary School in Florissant after a report of nuclear contamination prompted officials to indefinitely close the school.

The district will first move Jana Elementary students to virtual instruction, then the district will switch kids to other schools to keep them away from radioactive contamination.

An independent report finds that Jana Elementary in Florissant is exposed to high levels of radioactive contamination. The school is near Coldwater Creek, which contains nuclear waste dating to World War II. Environmental activists say generations of children could suffer unless federal officials clean up the waste.