No cancer inquiry at Liberty school, but Missouri officials keep door open
Missouri’s Cancer Inquiry Advisory Committee decided Wednesday that it won’t conduct further investigation at a Liberty elementary school where several teachers in recent years have been diagnosed with breast cancer.
The committee voted unanimously not to launch a cancer cluster inquiry at Warren Hills Elementary. But members said they want to continue the conversation with school and district officials as well as the Clay County Public Health Center.
George Turabelidze, a state epidemiologist with the Department of Health and Senior Services, spoke up after he and other committee members voted to not conduct an inquiry. He said it was important for the “interested public” to know that “the absence of a cancer inquiry process doesn’t mean that this problem is closed, (that) it will never be addressed by us again.”
“It only means that a cancer inquiry is not happening right now, but we are open to any new credible data that comes across to discuss it again,” Turabelidze said. “It doesn’t mean that they’re abandoned and nobody will listen to them again. I think that’s (an) important message probably as well.”
When the committee first met in late June about Warren Hills, members determined they didn’t have enough information to vote on whether to launch an inquiry. Since June, results have come back on testing done at Warren Hills, where a cell tower is located 130 feet from the school.
Testing of soil near the school’s West Entrance revealed that “several Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH’s) were detected at levels above the Missouri Department of Natural Resources soil cleanup levels.” But results also showed that the likely cause was water runoff and that it appeared to be an ingestion hazard, not an airborne one.
The company that conducted the survey recommended the district remedy the issue with “sod or other soil barriers that prevents direct contact with the bare soil,” the report by Axiom Property Services said.
The results did not raise alarms for the state, according to information provided at Wednesday’s meeting.
“We have reviewed that additional data now,” said Michelle Hartman, Health and Risk Assessment Program Manager with DHSS. “We do not believe that there’s any environmental exposures of concern after looking through all of the data.”
The National Institute for Occupation Safety and Health has also been involved with the situation at Warren HIlls, but did not release a report or information before the government shutdown three weeks ago.
Jim Pruitt, cancer inquiry coordinator with DHSS, said in Wednesday’s meeting, which was streamed online, that NIOSH indicated its “review had been completed,” but it isn’t known when the results of that will be released.
In May, U.S. Rep. Sam Graves asked the Department of Health and Human Services to help investigate cancer cases at Warren Hills. In an email statement to The Star on Wednesday, Graves said the vote to not open a cancer inquiry at the school is “disappointing.”
“But their previous inactivity led us to request federal assistance this summer,” said Graves, a Republican who represents northern Missouri, including Liberty. “I look forward to continuing to work with our federal partners to get the Warren Hills Elementary community the answers and assistance they deserve.”
The Star began writing about the concerns at Warren Hills in March, detailing how for years that teachers, staff and parents have been worried that something at the school may be making teachers and staff sick. Since 2020, six teachers have been diagnosed with breast cancer. In addition, another at the school was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013.
And at least three other staff members have had other types of cancer, including throat and cervical.
Much of the consternation at the school centers around the 120-foot cell tower located 130 feet from the school. It’s been there since shortly after the school opened in 2006.
The Star wrote this past summer that about 21 staff members — of the school’s total of 80 or so exempt and nonexempt employees — wouldn’t be coming back for this school year. That includes not only teachers and other certified staff, but also paraprofessionals and other employees.
Not all departures appear to be related to the health concerns, and many are considered typical turnover for a school. But those familiar with the situation say several staff members were leaving because of cancer diagnoses and how they feel the district has handled the situation.
Some parents also decided to move their children from the school because of safety concerns.
In 2022, the district contacted the Clay County Public Health Center to initiate a study. The center’s analysis ultimately determined there was no evidence to suggest that the breast cancer rate at Warren Hills was higher than expected. At that time, it was decided that no further environmental investigation was warranted.
Since then, concerns have resurfaced and grown after a beloved teacher died a year ago and another teacher was diagnosed with breast cancer late last year.
After Wednesday’s vote, the health center provided a statement to The Star from Darrell Meinke, CCPHC’s director of public health.
“I truly appreciate the attention to detail and diligent work that the Clay County Public Health Center team, Liberty Public Schools (LPS), Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Missouri Cancer Inquiry Advisory Committee, and other partners have all exhibited while exploring the health concerns that our community expressed,” Meinke said in the emailed statement. “I also commend LPS on their collaboration and transparency during the process.
“The health and safety of our schools, neighborhoods, and communities in Clay County is extremely important to all of us.”
This story was originally published October 22, 2025 at 5:12 PM.
