Parents Vent Frustration With Lakewood Elementary After CO Leak
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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - A re-opened Lakewood Elementary School became a welcome sight for parents Friday.
After a carbon monoxide leak sickened dozens of students and staff Tuesday, and kept school closed again Wednesday, parents' frustrations boiled over at a meeting with Dallas Independent School District representatives Friday morning.
At the meeting one parent said, "I truly believe the maintenance area failed our students, failed our kids. They got sick because you did not do your job."
Another mother told school leaders, "I've gotten more angry as the week has progressed."
Micah Crissey explained that her daughter, Olivia, began having headaches last year and the problem started again last week.
The little girl said, "On Friday, I had a really big headache when I got home. Then Monday, I had a headache, and Tuesday I had a headache, so it just kept following through."
While the district already installed a carbon monoxide detector in the school, a dad's group, called Friends of Lakewood, gave 70 of the detectors to teachers. There are enough for every classroom. The Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning Company donated the detectors.
Chris Prestridge is a member of Friends of Lakewood. "It needs to be done now," he said. "It's a small measure. Its just peace of mind for these parents."
Besides the donated carbon monoxide detectors, some parents didn't even wait for that. They gave their children their own devices.
Prestridge said, "They've had these units that are especially for minors and things like that. They'll not only pickup carbon monoxide but other gases. They'll actually attach them to a belt loop – they're small little units. Those have been sent with kids as well."
CBS 11 News asked a school district spokesman for comment about parents' ongoing concerns, but got no response by Friday afternoon.
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