Elementary school near plant will stay shut down

ADDYSTON, Ohio (AP) -- An elementary school that closed last week because of health concerns stemming from a nearby plastics plant will remain closed for the rest of the school year, officials said.
About 370 pupils from Meredith Hitchens Elementary School were relocated to three other schools in the area last week for what officials initially said would be a temporary move.
Three Rivers School District Superintendent Rhonda Bohannon said Saturday, however, that the pupils will stay in those schools at least until the summer.
"We won't disrupt them again," she said. "That's my decision."
Hitchens closed last week after the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency found that long-term residents in that area had 50 times greater risk of cancer because of two chemicals from Lanxess Corp.
The plant is across the street from the school in Addyston, on the Ohio River about 20 miles west of Cincinnati.
In a community meeting Saturday, residents wondered what to do with the agency's report.
"The only thing EPA said is, 'You're dying, we can prove you're dying, and we'll track that,'" said former Mayor Gary O'Connor.