Daphane Womack says she’s not sure when she will send her two kids back to school at Chisholm Elementary (1001 G St. SE). The school has been evacuated due to the smell of gas no less than three times over the past two weeks.
DC Fire Emergency Medical Services (DCFEMS) and Washington Gas came out to the school and gave the all-clear twice over that period.
But after the school was closed again yesterday, May 29, amid reports from DS that “trace levels of gas were detected near the water heater,” Womack says she finds it difficult to have any faith in a third “all clear”.
According to a May 29 letter sent to parents from DC Public Schools (DS) Deputy Chancellor, Finance and Operations Patrick Ashley, the water heater in question will be replaced.
Gas has been shut off to the entire building for continued investigation. Industrial hygienist SaLut has been hired to assist with the investigation. Gas heaters are in place to provide hot water to the kitchen and bathrooms. Contractors have addressed a utility sink and mop basin in a custodial closet that was producing sewage gas on the second floor, the letter adds.
But reached for comment Wednesday afternoon, an hour or so before the letter was sent, Washington Gas said a walk-through found no trace of natural gas in Chisholm Elementary.
The failure to address the problem the first time as well as issues with communication concern parents. “There is zero room for error with a gas leak,” Womack said. “I keep thinking of that building in Anacostia,” Womack said.
In January, a building on the 1200 block of Hope Rd., SE exploded, leveling one building and damaging an adjacent building with a daycare on the second floor; miraculously, there were no injuries. Womack also pointed to the dangers of breathing toxic gas to students, teachers and staff. There are pregnant women in the building, she said.
“There is absolutely no room for error with gas,” she said.
Repeated Alarm
The smell of gas was first detected at Chisholm at about 11 in the morning Wednesday, May 15. The school was evacuated minutes later. About 40 minutes later, the Department of General Services (DGS, the city agency charged with school maintenance), DCFEMS and Washington Gas gave the all clear for re-entry.
However, the agencies felt compelled to re-examine the school before classes resumed. That’s when, according to a letter sent to parents from Chisholm’s principal Dr. Jasmine Brann, they “discovered a pinhole leak in a gas line in our basement“. A contractor conducted repairs, the letter continued, and the building was cleared to open at 8:15 a.m on May 16.
But a little more than two hours later, at 10:38 a.m. on May 16th, the smell of gas was again detected and students and staff were evacuated to the field adjacent to the school. A letter sent to families said that the building was cleared for re-entry a few minutes later, although a contractor did not arrive to conduct repairs until 1 p.m.. The letter assured the community that all repairs had been completed.
12 days later, however, on Tuesday, May 28, the smell of gas was noted in the school one more time. The school was evacuated to a gymnasium at the Marine Barracks at Ninth and I Street SE; parents were called to collect students from the gym for an early dismissal at 1:30 p.m.
It was presumed the school would reopen Wednesday, May 29 but early that morning, DS announced it would open with a two-hour delay and finally that the school would be closed pending repairs.
Students and staff at Chisholm Elementary have now missed three days of school due to facilities problems. And parents aren’t sure what’s worse: missing classes, or attending them in the presence of repeatedly detected toxic fumes.
“The issue keeps happening again, so I think there’s just a massive lack of trust that the people responsible for fixing these things are finding the problem and fixing them and thinking bigger picture. Because they aren’t,” said Parent Teacher Association (PTA) Vice-President Alix Floyd.
“A Real Question” Whether Building is Safe
Parents say they’re frustrated with the situation. On Wednesday, May 29th, the Chisholm PTA sent a letter to Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen (D), DS Chancellor Lewis Ferebee, Washington Gas and DGS Director Delano Hunter requesting a community meeting. They are seeking specifics about the gas leak and the steps to address air quality until the end of the school year and details on how they will fix it more permanently.
Chisholm is set to be modernized beginning in Fall 2026. But until then, Floyd said the gas leak is only the most recent serious facilities issue the PTA has tried to have addressed. On Oct. 30 of last year, the school went without water for a day; Floyd says water issues persist. The front door security buzzer has been broken “for months,” Floyd said. The door may or may not lock, meaning there are times when anybody can walk in. Many bathroom stalls lack doors. When the front stairs began to crumble and the issue was not addressed, a parent applied a temporary fix.
“Taken in totality, it’s a real question whether that building is safe for kids or not,” said Floyd.
For the last ten weeks, Chisholm’s PTA has been trying to understand how DGS handles workload and flow, hoping to accelerate the urgency of the issues faced. They’re not alone; DC Council has been pushing DGS to address issues with work orders and school maintenance. (Asked for comment, both DGS and DS referenced the letter sent to the Chisholm community Wednesday).
Councilmember Allen said he spoke with Chisholm parents and with DGS Director Delano Hunter early Wednesday morning. He said he shared the frustration of parents, saying his understanding was that although a smell of gas had been detected early Thursday morning, May 30, on the second floor near a water fountain, the cause of the odor could be determined. Noting the involvement of SaLut, Allen said he shared parents’ low confidence in the assurances from district agencies and said he would like to see confirmation that the issue had been resolved from this third-party.
With the gas shut off to the entire building Thursday, Floyd sent her kids to school. But she said she wouldn’t send her children to school if the issue hadn’t been addressed to her satisfaction. That’s a privileged position, she knows. “There are lots of parents at our school that are probably losing wages; there are kids that probably don’t have childcare, or who don’t have meals because they’re not at school today, and the parents couldn’t plan for it,” she explained.
A town hall meeting is pending for the first week of June, with DS and Allen’s office confirmed, although DGS and Washington Gas have not responded to the request, Floyd said.
“As the PTA, we’re trying to bring together the people who are able, to find solutions,” she said. “We want to make sure parents get the answers they need, teachers get the answers they need and honestly to make sure agencies understand the trickle-down consequences of their lack of attention to this.”
Womack said this is part of a systematic problems with DGS. “Safety concerns don’t seem to be paramount for them where this school is concerned,” she said.
“At this point, there are more questions than answers.”
May 30, 8:58 a.m.: we have updated details in a quote from Alix Floyd to better reflect actual conditions.
