Fox High School Trying to Minimize Impact of Roofing Project

A Fox C-6 School District spokesman says the district is doing as much as it can to minimize the impact of a roofing project that began two weeks ago at Fox High School.

On Tuesday, some students told a KMOV-TV reporter the fumes from the project were making them sick. One student said the odor was infiltrating the classrooms and hallways, giving him headaches.

Tammie Tadlock, a parent of a student at the high school, commented on an earlier article Patch ran saying her daughter has complained about the odor several times because it has given her headaches and made her nauseous. 

However, Tim Crutchley, assistant superintendent of school services, told Patch that no one had complained about the odor to school officials.

"The news report was the first we heard of students complaining," Crutchley said in an email. "While there is a little smell here and there, we have had no one call and complain or come to the main office at the high school and complain."

He said the school has an environmental service company visit on a daily basis to do air quality monitoring in the building. He added that the project had to completed now because the school has had numerous roof leaks that need immediate attention to prevent further building structural damage. 

"We have chosen a roofing system that has a proven track record for long term performance and durability that we have installed on buildings for almost 10 years now," Crutchley said in the email. "This is not the first time we have installed this type of roof or even installed it during the school year. In fact we installed this exact roofing system last spring while school was in session at Antonia Elementary."

He explained that the products being used are non-carcinogen and contain no harmful toxins. Additionally, he said the project has an on-site OSHA-trained job coordinator that monitors the safety and regulations of the job. 

"As of right now we still have had no complaints from any students or parents," Crutchley said in the email. "We are taking it seriously and doing everything in our power to minimize the impact the smell is having on the building."