Arsenic Update: Fields at Field School Closed for Recess; Officials Take "Cautious" Approach

Following the latest round of soil testing for arsenic that revealed additional "hot spots" at the , school officials closed the fields behind the school for recess last week, saying they’ll take a cautious approach until the fields are remediated.

Arsenic was first discovered in the fields last August, when a routine sweep of the soil in preparation for the found that levels exceeded allowable state minimums. At that time, according to an update by Weston Superintendent of Schools Cheryl Maloney on the Weston schools website, “a few of the samples indicated arsenic above acceptable levels and one reached the level of extremely hazardous.”

According to the website, it is believed believed that arsenic was utilized as a pesticide when the school grounds were an agricultural field in the early 20th century.

Recent additional testing of the soil was part of “due diligence” that Maloney said revealed the contaminated area is larger than was originally believed, telling parents that “while the risk level is minimal, we are taking a conservative approach.”

Overall, it’s a process Maloney said has proved more frustrating than school officials had originally bargained for.

“We went from thinking (remediation) could be done in the fall, then it became ‘maybe by early spring,’” Maloney said. "At this point we’re hoping it will be done (during) July.”

Which means for the remainder of the year, Field School students will have their recess on the blacktop, where it’s been held since the fields were first closed for recess on Thursday. Field School principal Matt Lucey said the kids have taken the change in stride and that for most of them, it's not a big deal.

“The kids are adjusting well. They’re a good group,” said Lucey, adding that many children already play on the blacktop area and that the swings and play structure will remain usable.

Lucey said school administration have been direct with the students about the situation.

“They know about the arsenic. They may not fully know what it means, but they know it’s not safe,” said Lucey. “And they know we feel it’s better safe than sorry.”

The remediation timetable and other concerns were the topics of discussion at a principal’s coffee at Field School this morning, where some 20 parents met with Lucey to discuss the situation.

Lucey said some parents had some questions about the impact on the rest of the year, including upcoming events where the fields would typically be used, and reassured them that everything would be accounted for.

For the most part, he said, it was a "matter-of-fact" meeting in which "parents were just looking for clarification."