HENRY COUNTY, Mo. — Voters in Henry County, Missouri, will decide on Nov. 4 if the Davis R-12 School District will remain open next year or annex with nearby districts.
This comes 10 months after KSHB 41 News began reporting on cancerous chemical contamination in the community and the district administration's handling of a death threat.
More than half of the families at Davis decided to enroll their students at either the Clinton School District or the Montrose School District. If voters decide to annex the Davis R-12 School District, families within the current lines will be redistricted into either Clinton's or Montrose's districts.
Back in August, the Davis R-12 School Board experienced significant changes. Five board members resigned at the same time, prompting the Henry County Board of Commissioners to appoint several new members.
Joy Lawson is one of the appointed board members who later voted to put the annexation measure on the upcoming November ballot.
"My theory was, how else to settle this than get the public involved and let them have their voice heard," Lawson said.
Several rounds of testing by private companies revealed there were traces of a cancer-inducing chemical, hexavalent chromium, on the school grounds, including the playground. Hexavalent chromium is a known by-product of fly ash, which has been a significant concern in the entire Henry County community.
Further testing by the EPA showed that the chemical levels were low enough not to be an 'action level', meaning the federal agency would take steps to remove the contamination.
At the same time, KSHB 41's I-Team investigation revealed allegations that the former superintendent, Karen Mefford, mishandled a credible death threat against students and a board member's family. Mefford resigned at the end of July.
Those factors led to multiple parents speaking out at school board meetings for the school to consider annexing with Clinton and Montrose.
"When [parents] reached out to me about the contamination, I can't guarantee them what's going to happen," Lawson said. "If the parents are worried about their kids, then I'm worried about their kids."
But several parents are also fighting for the school to stay open.
"Some [parents] were upset, they thought we were rushing things and thought we should give the school a chance," Lawson said. "Others felt like it was time because of the lack of students that we have attending here."
The district only has 18 enrolled students out of a possible 44. The remaining 26 children are enrolled in neighboring districts due to parents' concerns about the contamination and the former administration.
KSHB 41's Isabella Ledonne asked Lawson if 18 students would be sustainable for next school year's operations.
"Probably not," Lawson said. "How do you keep paying what we're paying to keep the building open and the teachers with only 18 children? My feeling is it's a public school being run like a private school with taxpayer money."
If voters approve the annexation, the majority of the Davis district's tax dollars would go towards the Clinton School District, as the majority of the families get zoned into that district. The remainder would go to the Montrose School District.
Both Clinton and Montrose explained they would welcome the students from Davis.
"When you add even 44 students, there's just additional cost," Clinton School District superintendent Dan Brungardt said. "A lot of that money goes to funding if we need extra classroom teachers, extra paras, etc."
Ultimately, the decision is up to Davis School District voters on November 4th. If voters approve the annexation, Davis R-12 will remain open through the 2025-2026 school year. The changes would go into effect for the 2026-2027 school year.
"If the school decides to stay open, we need to make it the safest we can for the children," Lawson said.
More in-depth coverage of the chemical testing in Henry County and the Davis School District can be found here.
KSHB 41 reporter Isabella Ledonne covers issues surrounding government accountability, solutions and consumer advocacy. Share your story with Isabella.
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