Parents and advocates held a protest Tuesday demanding transparency and answers from the Coachella Valley Unified School District following allegations that children were exposed to mold at John Kelley Elementary School in Thermal.
The protest took place outside the district’s offices at 87225 Church St.
Earlier in the day, an attorney representing several families said multiple lawsuits will be filed against the district.
Elan Zektser, an attorney with Oakwood Legal Group representing seven families with special-needs children, said the district has known about classroom issues since at least 2017 following flooding but did not contract an environmental testing firm and a remediation company until last year, after parents contacted the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
“This isn’t about some big lawsuit. This is about the fact that kids do not feel safe, parents do not feel safe sending those kids in those classes,” Zektser said.
“The district refused to make change and now these families are going to force them to make change,” he added.
Parents said that although post-remediation reports indicated mold-contaminated materials were removed or cleaned, they believe the response came too late and that an unspecified number of children had already been exposed.
One parent said during the news conference that her son has continued coughing since the alleged exposure.
District officials were not available for comment.