Liberty ‘sick school’ cancer cluster concerns may get federal attention
LIBERTY, Mo. (KCTV) - Concerns about a possible cancer cluster at a Liberty elementary school may soon be under the federal microscope.
Congressman Sam Graves notified Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. about concerns some have about the number of cancer cases at Warren Hills Elementary School in Liberty, an area Graves represents.
In a letter, Graves asked for help getting to the bottom of the number of cancer cases at the school.
At least six staff at Warren Hill Elementary have been diagnosed with breast cancer in the past 12 years, according to information Graves sent to the agency. Another staff member ed away from liver cancer last fall.
Graves said there are just 40 teachers at the school.
PROPERTY HISTORY
The building that eventually became Warren Hills Elementary opened in 2006.
Before the building opened the site was owned by several generations of the Warren family, according to the school district. The only things ever on the property were a house and a pond.
The City of Liberty approved adding a 120 foot cell tower to the school’s campus.
It’s that cell tower that concern some families and district employees, according to Rep. Graves.
SCHOOL TESTING
Tests have already been done at the school and there is a Warren Hills Elementary website with resources and other information for families.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services conducted radon testing at the school in 2015. Results found no issues of concern.
Clay County’s Health Center conducted another health study in the fall of 2022. Again, the test showed no evidence that the breast cancer rate at the school was higher than expected.
Missy Roll has two kids attending the school and told KCTV5 she isn’t sure what to make of all of this.
“As a parent, am I doing the right thing by staying? I don’t know,” Roll said. “I don’t know what to do; I really just don’t know what to do.”
Roll said her kids both had teachers who were diagnosed with breast cancer.
“They were out of school; the teachers were for a brief amount of time and had substitutes but that’s really all I knew about it,” Roll said.
Roll said she does find comfort in the fact that the previous tests that were done came back negative. But she would like to see more testing.
“I don’t know if I’m sending my kids into a safe environment,” Roll said. “I want to believe I am. I know with the teachers, they are safe; with the other students, they’re safe. But overall, am I going to see in the next year that one of them has come down with cancer?”
Roll said the school has been very transparent about the issue, keeping them updated through emails and on their website.
In a statement, Liberty Public Schools told KCTV5:
“Liberty Public Schools is committed to providing safe and healthy learning environments at all of our schools and facilities. Specifically to Warren Hills Elementary, in recent years our team has been in close with the Clay County Public Health Center, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Children’s Mercy Environmental Health, and the Missouri Cancer Registry, as we have responded to specific health and environmental concerns expressed by Warren Hills staff. We are thankful for their expertise and partnerships and will continue to work with them as we move forward. Their work has been, and will continue to be, essential in leading and guiding us. In following the guidance and determinations made by the health agencies listed above, we have been assured that the school is safe for the Warren Hills community. Having said this, we also fully recognize that this school community has had questions related to this, and it is of the utmost importance to us to them with information and resources. Throughout, our focus has been on the well-being of our staff and students as we have worked to provide to the Warren Hills school community. An of all of the work completed to date has been published and made available on the Warren Hills school website, which is updated regularly. We will continue to remain engaged with the staff, families, and school community and provide them updates, as necessary,” said Dallas Akerman, spokesperson for Liberty Public Schools.
CONTINUED CONCERNS
There are parents and employees at the school still have health concerns.
Some have ed Graves’ office. He wrote that they don’t believe the testing was thorough enough to explain the number of cancer diagnoses at the school.
At least one person with independent knowledge of similar situations agrees with those concerns.
Ellie Marks addressed the Liberty Board of Education during its April meeting. She lives in California, but her daughter lives in the Kansas City area and told her about the school.
Marks told the board that her husband was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2008. She said doctors pointed to radiation from his heavy cell phone use as the reason for his cancer.
Since then Marks said she has studied cell phones and cell phone towers. She also founded the California Brain Tumor Association.
“We’ve been told by the health department that there is no cluster. I’ve learned over the years that it is very hard to prove a cluster. It’s also very important to understand that many cancers have very long latency periods,” Marks said during the meeting.
Marks also told board a cell phone tower near the school may be the reason for the cancer cases at the school.
“I can say without hesitation from my knowledge and my 17 years of experience that the emissions from the cell tower at the school are absolutely endangering the health of staff, teachers and your children. It does need to be relocated,” Marks said.
Marks also pointed out that limits set by the Federal Communications Commissions are outdated and based on exposures of 30 minutes.
“No one is measuring the cumulative exposure your children and educators are getting from 30 or more hours a week,” Marks said.
Kennedy has not responded to Graves request at this point.
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