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High Level Of Arsenic Found Near Greenwich's New Lebanon School

GREENWICH, Conn. -- A high level of arsenic has been discovered on the baseball field adjacent to New Lebanon School, Greenwich Public Schools officials said Tuesday.

A high level of arsenic has been discovered near New Lebanon School in Greenwich.

A high level of arsenic has been discovered near New Lebanon School in Greenwich.

Photo Credit: Greenwich Public Schools

Although the investigation is not complete, the level of arsenic required the district's consultant to notify officials before the completion of delineation sampling. The level of arsenic has triggered state reporting limits and requires remediation.

The area is expected to be no larger than 20 feet in diameter and 2 feet deep, the district said in a release. The area is inside protective fencing, which was erected in April, and is not accessible to the public.

Information related to the delineation investigation is still developing, and the school system will share this information as it becomes available.

Greenwich Public Schools officials are planning to build a new school to address the achievement gap, racial imbalance and facility utilization difficulties as presented in the 2014 state-approved Racial Balance Plan. The proposed New Lebanon Elementary School will be built to attract students from the entire town who are interested in an international baccalaureate education.

The facility must be sized to accept the larger enrollment from the catchment area, add space for magnet students and add classrooms to restore the prekindergarten program.

New Lebanon Elementary School was originally built in 1956. Four classrooms were added in 1992. The prekindergarten program was moved out of the school for the 2012-13 school year, and the kindergarten program moved out in 2014-15 school year to address overcrowding and relieve strain on the facility.

Many of the classrooms are appropriately sized, but all the special classrooms, gym, administration and small group learning rooms are undersized. The smaller-than-average cafeteria and kitchen also impact the school schedule. 

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