Kyrene de la Sierra: Students return to campus months after air quality concerns shut down school
Students return months after air quality concerns closed Phoenix school
Kyrene De La Sierra Elementary School welcomed back students on Tuesday after being closed the past five months due to air quality concerns. FOX 10's Irene Snyder reports.
AHWATUKEE, Ariz. - Months after air-quality concerns shut down a Phoenix elementary school campus, students on Tuesday will return to the campus for the first time.
Timeline:
Last August, the Kyrene School District announced that students at Kyrene de la Sierra would move to remote learning because of air quality concerns. A subsequent report found high levels of Total Volatile Organic Compound (TVOC). The school was undergoing a roof replacement project at the time.
The district later sent all Sierra students to Kyrene Altadeña Middle School and Kyrene de los Cerritos Elementary School. Both schools share the same campus in the Foothills area of Ahwatukee.
On Dec. 4, we reported that a formal air quality test was scheduled for the next day. On Dec. 18, district officials posted the test results. The test was conducted by a company named Dominion Environmental Consultants, and Dominion officials wrote that "all levels of detected chemicals were [significantly] reduced or eliminated from the initial inspection on August 4, 2025."
Kyrene de la Sierra: New air quality test scheduled after roof replacement woes
Students at an elementary school in the Ahwatukee area of Phoenix could soon return to their school campus, months after air quality worries prompted district officials to close the campus temporarily.
"No roofing products related chemicals were found from the December 5, 2025 laboratory report," read a portion of the report.
Dominion's report also noted that while the level of TVOC was elevated for air samples collected in two hallways within the building, data indicated that cleaning product chemicals are the major contributors to TVOC.
In their Dec. 4 update, district officials said crews conducted a deep cleaning inside the school building.
"The indoor air quality conditions have largely improved since August 2025. The air quality within Sierra is acceptable for students and staff occupancy," read a portion of Dominion's report on the air quality.
What they're saying:
The school district on Jan. 5 posted an update to its website on the roof repair and air quality status at Kyrene de la Sierra.
"Kyrene ordered additional air quality testing over winter break, to provide families with maximum confidence before students return to campus," Superintendent Laura Toenjes said. "Out of an abundance of caution, Kyrene hired two independent environmental experts to conduct testing. The first report is now available, and the second report is anticipated later this week."
The latest report from Dominion Environmental Services can be viewed by clicking here.
Map of Kyrene de la Sierra Elementary School
The Source: The Kyrene School Disrict's website and a FOX 10 report on Dec. 18, 2025.