Oakland’s McClymonds High declared safe for students after chemical contamination last spring

McClymonds High in Oakland Unified, which was shut down last February after trichloroethylene, or TCE, was found in groundwater near the school, is now safe for students and staff, officials said Friday.

However, the entire district is in distance learning due to Covid-19 and has not yet decided to reopen any of its schools to students. The approximately 350 students who attend McClymonds in West Oakland have been learning remotely since the district closed all of its campuses for in-person instruction last March.

The district, in partnership with the county and state, tested air and water throughout the campus and found that there is no threat of TCE. It did find PCE, or tetrachloroethylene, in the outdoor air around the school, but not inside the school.

Principal Jeff Taylor said some staff members are already working on the campus. The district has installed air purifiers in all classrooms and other school facilities such as the gym to ensure that students and staff have the cleanest air possible, said district spokesman John Sasaki.

The likely sources of the TCE, Sasaki said, were a nearby metal shop or the ABC Dry Cleaners. He said the district would continue to advocate with the city to clean up environmental pollution and toxins, which he called “injustices” that many people in Oakland and other urban areas are unfairly subjected to.