After hearing from both Janice Ruggieri, Chairwoman of the School Committee, and Pauline Belal, who is suing the city for the medical expenses of pulling her daughter out of Cranston East due to carbon monoxide poisoning, the council chose to use next week’s Safety Services committee meeting to hear further from both sides on this issue.

At the meeting Monday, Belal, whose daughter, a senior, is still out of school due to carbon monoxide poisoning, once again requested for additional testing at Cranston East.

“I am here to ask all of you and the school committee to do another sealed conditioned test,” she said. “Not to wait until April, not until June. Now. You are knowingly, willingly allowing these children to walk into these schools and get sick.”

Belal said that “hundreds” of parents had reached out to her through Facebook saying that their children at East were experiencing symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Ruggieri told the Council that as of Monday, the administration at East nor the district administration had received any reports, either from the Department of Health or directly from parents, about carbon monoxide poisoning.

“We haven’t received any reports from anyone of any issues regarding continued health problems,” she said.

She said that additional tests have not been done because there were “multiple tests run from multiple organizations” in November. Ruggieri said that the tests, which all came back negative for dangerous levels of carbon monoxide, were done by the Cranston Fire Department and the outside environmental agency Occupational Health and Safety.

“We have done what was deemed appropriate by multiple organizations throughout the state; the Department of Health, fire department, engineering consultants, and environmental consultants regarding this issue,” Ruggieri said.

Belal said that the tests were done improperly as “snatch-grab” tests and need to be re-done to properly test the school for levels of carbon monoxide, which she believes to be dangerous based on reports she said she’s heard from other parents.

Because there is pending litigation involved, Operating Officer of Cranston schools Ray Votto said that this potential discussion would be an “interesting one” and as of press time Tuesday he said he would be sitting down with Superintendent Jeannine Nota and Ruggieri to discuss what they’re going to do about the invitation to the Safety Services meeting.

Councilman Steve Stycos has also requested a report from the fire department on the findings of their tests during that November incident be presented during next Monday’s meeting.

Councilman Chris Paplauskas, who chairs the Safety Service committee, said that he doesn’t think much can be said because of the pending litigation, but believes the meeting can be a “fact-finding” exercise and he’s “hoping to find out what the fire department has to say about it and give the opportunity for the public to come speak out about it.”