Board Hears Opposition to Soria Site

Local farmers and environmentalists told the school board Wednesday night that concerns about pesticide spraying would make building a school on farmland unsafe for children.

The preferred site for the 1,000-student Juan Laguna Soria Elementary School is a sod field in the Lemonwood neighborhood in Oxnard’s southeast corner. The 14-acre site at the end of Emerson Avenue between Rice and Rose avenues has strawberry fields on three sides.

Several community residents oppose building there. Farmers worry that the fumigant methyl bromide used in strawberry fields could cause health problems for students and staff, and fear being sued should someone fall ill. Environmentalists argue that building a school on farmland could lead to more sprawl, despite recently passed anti-growth initiatives.

Ventura-based pediatrician Claudia Jensen warned the Oxnard Unified School District board that pesticide exposure damages children’s cognitive abilities. And David Bueltner, the county’s chief deputy agricultural commissioner, echoed concerns about placing students near the pesticide spraying.

After several people spoke and trustees had heard an explanation of the environmental impact report on the proposed school site, they were expected to vote on whether the report, released in April, was complete. And not everyone opposed the Lemonwood site.

Ernest Morrison, principal of the Lemonwood school, said the school is crucial to relieve overcrowding, and parent Martha Flournoy agreed.

The district has scheduled a town hall meeting at 7 p.m. on June 7 at Driffill School to solicit public feedback on where to build new schools.

Times staff writer Kate Folmar contributed to this story.