Brockovich Reps Taking Soil Samples Ordered Off School Grounds
Representatives of activist Erin Brockovich and members of the media were ordered off the grounds of a school in Le Roy, New York on Saturday in an incident related to concerns about neurological symptoms being exhibited in a group of local girls.
The LeRoy School District, which is located near Rochester, said in a statement an unidentified individual entered District property to take soil samples. The district said media representatives were filming the event.
The Democrat and Chronicle said local television station WHAM confirmed with Brockovich representatives that they had been ordered off the property.
The school district says it called police “to maintain the security of its property.”
The District said rejected the usefulness of the soil being gathered.
“Testing conducted with rogue samples is of no scientific value, as it is not conducted in accordance with scientific methodologies and safety protocols utilized by reputable environmental experts in all testing situations,” the District said.
Brockovich told the Democrat and Chronicle several days ago she would be sending a representative to collect samples, according to the news outlet.
Neurologists have diagnosed ten girls with conversion disorders –nervous system symptoms brought on by psychological conflict and stress.
Brokovich has previously said concerned families had called on her to investigate the matter. In 1970 a train derailment spilled cyanide and an industrial solvent called tricholoethene near the school.
The school district said Saturday it is working with local and state agencies about the matter.
It maintains that testing to this point show that “environmental factors have not been identified as a cause of the symptoms that have manifested in some students.”
The district characterized the action of the individual and news outlets were “grandstanding,” and that “no legitimate organization would function in this manner.”