Parents: Foul odors in Northport MS continue to make kids sick

Northport parents say they have been fighting with school district officials about a foul smell that is making their children sick for more than two years.

News 12 Staff

Oct 27, 2019, 9:10 PM

Updated 1,866 days ago

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Northport parents say they have been fighting with school district officials about a foul smell that is making their children sick for more than two years.
Parents of children attending Northport Middle School say they want answers as to why the strange odors filling the school is making their kids sick.
"It smells like a dead animal all over the K Wing," said eighth-grader Aliya Zadrozny. "It smells like baby vomit and sewage."
Lynette O'Dell says her daughter Ryleigh missed school for 35 days last year because the smell was affecting her asthma.
"The coughing was so bad, nothing like she'd ever had before, she could not even gasp for air without vomiting," said O'Dell. "That building needs to be closed down completely."
News 12 first reported on this story back in April 2017. Teachers and students reported smelling diesel fumes in the building. The smell got so bad, students were evacuated from that wing of the school.
One month later, an inspection found two dozen hazardous materials in the warehouse under the classroom. The district says it removed the contaminants and other environmental tests have been done.
Parents say the district is not doing enough because their kids are still getting sick. Parents are planning a "sick out" for Nov. 7 where they will hold a peaceful rally outside of the school.
In May 2018, parents requested to see the warehouse area below the classrooms. They took pictures of the floor where they say stains soaked into the concrete were painted over.
Last week, parents say their kids reported another odd smell.
District officials told News 12 those odors were likely from a new HVAC system that was just installed.