ST. PETERS 鈥 The new Francis Howell North high school opened this August amid much anticipation. The school, built to replace Francis Howell North鈥檚 previous 40-year-old building, includes a robotics lab, an e-sports room, a broadcast studio and a two-story fieldhouse large enough for 2,000 people.
But soon after the school year started, a noxious odor started to affect students and staff in parts of the building.
Students said it smelled like 鈥渞otten eggs.鈥 Some described it as sewage. Still others didn鈥檛 notice anything.
Sophomore Caleigh Jedlick said it鈥檚 more like 鈥渁 difference in the air鈥 that can make it slightly hard to breathe.
鈥淚t鈥檚 like chemicals, but I don鈥檛 know what specifically,鈥 she said.
The odor is the latest debacle related to the new high school.
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The cost to build Francis Howell North 鈥 $164 million 鈥 was nearly double what district leaders said it would be when voters approved a bond issue to fund construction. The discrepancy led to an audit from state Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick鈥檚 office and earned the district the lowest possible rating of 鈥減oor鈥 in December.
Fitzpatrick said his office found a lack of transparency and a flawed project manager selection process led to the sticker shock.
Seventy-one other projects for schools across the district, totaling more than $56 million, because of the cost overruns.
And now the newly rebuilt school has been making some people sick.
Some staff members have had to take numerous sick days due to headaches, migraines and other issues. At least three teachers have received workers鈥 compensation benefits for health issues related to the smell, Superintendent Kenneth Roumpos said at a board meeting last month.
At least two students have also gotten sick, citing the odor as the cause.
Francine Hill, president of Francis Howell鈥檚 teachers union, said in an interview that 鈥渢eachers have been sick, and it鈥檚 been several.鈥
One parent said they had to do remote learning with their child at home because the smell complicated their child鈥檚 other medical issues and caused headaches.
Class locations have also been shifted around to avoid the odor. Last month, the school鈥檚 library was closed for multiple days, one staff member said.
鈥淢y daughter is taking Foods and they can鈥檛 use the classroom kitchen right now due to the odor,鈥 said parent Stephanie Pingel. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been very disappointing for her considering it鈥檚 a beautiful and brand-new class kitchen.鈥
Senior Ellenna Forbes said she was sitting under an air vent in the school鈥檚 library about two months ago when it suddenly started to smell like rotten eggs.
鈥淚t was really, really strong,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t was almost nauseating.鈥
The smell spread throughout the library and classes there were moved later that day, Forbes said.
Locating the source of the odor has been a monthslong investigation and a 鈥渓ong and frustrating process,鈥 district officials said.
Contractors have removed 1,000 gallons of grease out of the high school鈥檚 interceptor. Sewer mains were inspected with cameras. The plumbing system was smoke tested to find leaks or blockages. Charcoal filters were installed on vent pipes. In December, a clog in a sewer main got hydro flushed out.
But the smell persisted in certain parts of the school, mostly on the western side, which holds the most plumbing.
It鈥檇 be gone for days or weeks at a time and then come back. It鈥檇 be in one hallway, then the library, then the cafeteria, or a classroom, then back to the hallway.
鈥淚t鈥檚 weird how, like, in one place it鈥檚 there, and then the other place it鈥檚 not,鈥 said sophomore Brady Forbes, Ellenna Forbes鈥 brother. 鈥淭hen sometimes it鈥檒l move.鈥
An air quality test in December found nothing concerning, the district said in a statement.
Air quality monitoring devices were placed in five locations to detect potentially harmful gases or compounds and have also found nothing.
鈥淲hile the presence of harmful gases or toxins has not been detected, we will continue to be proactive in our monitoring efforts and are prepared to act if anything changes,鈥 the district said in a statement.
There鈥檚 been no conclusive evidence of the cause of the odor. But a report completed by consultant Case Engineering on April 25 may lead to some solutions.
The report said air intakes on the school鈥檚 roof may be sucking up the air released by rooftop sewer vents and dispersing the foul air through ductwork.
It also found that sags or dips in piping, especially those serving restrooms, allows waste to sit and stew over the weekend and cause harsher odors as people return to school and flush the waste out.
In late April, nearly all of the school鈥檚 25 rooftop vents were extended 5 feet higher, district officials said. Air admittance valves were also installed in the vents to prevent the release of any sewer odor that can be drawn into the HVAC system, district officials said.
鈥淭he actions so far seem to have made a positive impact, with odors being observed far less frequently and to a lesser degree,鈥 the district said in a statement.
Outside of the school on a recent weekday, Ellenna Forbes was on her way home and said she was relieved to be outside. But not because of the smell.
The AC wasn鈥檛 working that day, she said. Neither was the internet.
鈥淭his is a new school, so why is the AC broken?鈥 she said. 鈥淚 was literally sweating. It feels much better out here, even though it鈥檚 warm.鈥
Francis Howell North High School senior Lauren Chance talks with the media, along with her schoolmates, after the group led a walkout of students on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024. The walkout was done to protest the Francis Howell School Board's changes to the district's classes on Black History and Black Literature and the board's earlier action to remove a previously passed resolution against racism and discrimination.
