While much of the Board of Education’s (BOE) meeting on Tuesday, February 3 centered on the 2026-27 education budget proposal, Superintendent of Schools Anne Uberti gave an update on the radon testing going on at Middle Gate Elementary School.

Radon is defined by the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) as a naturally occurring radioactive gas released in rock, soil, and water formed from the breakdown of uranium. While levels in outdoor air pose a low threat to human health, the Connecticut DPH said radon can enter homes from surrounding soil and become a health hazard inside buildings.

For the district’s three year reevaluation, Uberti said tests are conducted in a random sampling of about ten percent of the buildings. All buildings in Newtown Public Schools were tested.

Uberti said this test is done twice; rooms are evaluated in an initial round of tests, and the same rooms are tested again a few weeks later.

“And then they take an average of those two rooms to hopefully assess what would be typical air quality,” Uberti explained.

If the reading is over four, Uberti said it is considered to be at the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) action level.

She noted Middle Gate had four rooms that tested over that level, and that the district notified Middle Gate staff and parents on January 28 over email.

On January 29, Uberti and Middle Gate Principal Jenna Connors held a voluntary meeting for Middle Gate staff to address any of their questions and concerns.

At the same time, Uberti worked with Director of Facilities John Barlow on the situation.

Obviously, radon is an unpredictable gas, if you will. In some cases, a room might have a higher level and the room next door might not. Alternatively, the next room over might not have been tested because the recent examination was a sample.

The district contracted with a different company to do a testing of all of the used spaces in Middle Gate. Uberti said this is a 96-hour test, which is considered to be a more stable test over a longer period of time.

Uberti said those tests were distributed on February 2 and are expected to be picked up late February 5. Results will take anywhere between five to ten business days.

Once the district gets the results back, Uberti said any rooms over level four will get a mitigation system to bring those levels “back down to acceptable limits.”

BOE member Shannon Tomai asked what remediation looks like. Uberti said it is typically movement where air is blown out of the room to get more fresh air in. This dilutes the air so that radon is not present.

The district has two remediation systems, according to Uberti. One is in Middle Gate’s gymnasium, but the district does not have a record of it going in, which makes Uberti think it “went in a very long time ago.” The other, Uberti believes, is in the School Resource Officer office of Newtown Middle School.

“The important thing here is, although obviously this is not good news, there is no immediate health risk. This is not a situation where we would evacuate a building or even a classroom,” Uberti said.

She added that risks of radon are typically long-term exposure in homes, although workplaces are another area of concern, hence why the district tests regularly.

Uberti sent a follow-up email with more details to parents and staff on the morning of February 3. She heard back from a few parents who had follow-up questions, noting that they are answering questions as they come in.

BOE member Donald Ramsey asked who determines how long of an exposure a student must have for it to either be harmful or not harmful.

Uberti said there are EPA guidelines and state laws, with a website at the state level detailing the requirements for testing in schools, along with the appropriate response.

She said the district contracts with an environmental agency to test for their schools. The agency also handles asbestos abatement for Newtown Public Schools.

The district has also been in contact with Newtown Health District Director of Health Donna Culbert about the issue.

Uberti said the concern would be greater for a staff member who theoretically taught in a classroom for 15 years with an elevated radon level.

“That would be potentially concerning,” Uberti said. “For students, they’re in and out and moving around, so it’s a little bit different. But either way, at this threshold, it’s not considered an acute situation or something that we have to respond to.”

BOE member Christopher Gilson said he had to have a radon system looked at for his house. He said these can be kind of expensive for homeowners, and asked if Uberti has an idea of how much this might cost.

Uberti said she does not know, but noted Barlow is in the process of getting quotes since they are pretty sure one room is going to need a remediation system. The room in question had a higher level of radon compared to the other rooms, and its levels were pretty consistent between the first and second test.

Once the system is installed, Uberti said the areas get retested. The environmental agency will also retest areas that have the systems in there to make sure they are functioning properly.

BOE Chair Alison Plante asked if the test is more exhaustive, in that they are testing more areas of the school. Uberti said they are “testing every single space that a kid or adult works in.”

Barlow created and marked a map, which he sent to Connors. He told her to show it to Middle Gate staff, because some staff members might go inside closets, which could also be marked.

“Every single space that a person works in has a kit in it,” Uberti said.

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Reporter Jenna Visca can be reached at jenna@thebee.com.