Elementary school walking distance to chemical plant to shutter ahead of next school year

RESERVE, La. (WVUE) - An elementary school within walking distance of a major chemical plant that has been under scrutiny from the EPA and environmental groups will close ahead of the 2025-26 school year.

Fifth Ward Elementary and its roughly 300 students are situated about a half mile from the Denka Performance Elastomer site in Reserve.

Denka has been the subject of a series of Lee Zurik investigations and intense criticism from EPA regulators (which filed a lawsuit against the company) and environmental advocacy groups, both local and national.

The NAACP Legal Defense Fund said it launched a lawsuit against the St. John the Baptist Parish School Board over the issue, calling for the closure of the elementary school in court.

On Thursday night, the board voted to close the school but cited financial reasons for the closure and pointing to declining enrollment district wide.

"We have to make decisions, financially, for our district, because, you know, we have enrollment that we are losing," said Shawn Wallace, St. John the Baptist Parish School Board President. "But we have to continue making these tough decisions that we can be sound, financially responsible for our budget that we have maintained."

The Denka plant has faced EPA scrutiny over its emissions of a chemical associated with the production of neoprene. For its part, Denka maintains it has voluntarily worked to reduce its emissions over the past several years.

Denka granted two-year extension for EPA compliance

Louisiana chemical plant threatens to shut down if EPA emissions deadline isn't relaxed

Reserve residents react to DOJ filing lawsuit against Denka over cancer risk from emissions

EPA proposes stronger toxic chemical plant emissions limits

Governor Jeff Landry and other state officials held a press conference over the summer to push back on what they called federal overreach and accuse the EPA of working to shutter the plant.

The NAACP was critical of the board's decision to ultimately shutter the school, though, because its student body would be split between East St. John Prep and LaPlace Elementary.

The Legal Defense Fund had told a federal judge it wanted all students moved to LaPlace, rather than East St. John which is situated only three miles north of Denka.

The Legal Defense Fund alleges a desegregation issue with how the student body is allotted at Fifth Ward, saying a majority are bussed in.

"The board has been disproportionately assigning black children out of their neighborhoods away from the Denka plant into Fifth Ward just to occupy seats," said Victor Jones with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. "That is a desegregation issue because the white school children in the district at the elementary level quite frankly don't have to be exposed to this level of danger."

Fifth Ward Elementary will close ahead of the 2025-26 school year.