GREENFIELD — Health officials are working with The Center School to resolve concerns around the outdoor toileting practices for two classes of its youngest students.

Chief concerns, discussed at a Board of Health meeting on Wednesday, involve the possibility of urine making its way into a nearby culvert and the risk of spreading gastro-intestinal disease through contact with fecal matter.

As part of the Forest Prime and Lumber Prime classes at The Center School on Bernardston Road, students spend the entirety of their day outdoors engaging with the environment. The program grew from a place of need at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, as it allowed in-person education to continue for kindergartners while other schools pivoted to remote instruction, according to Head of School Charlie Spencer.

“(The program) became so popular, we had to increase by a whole classroom,” she said. “We expanded to two outdoor classrooms.”

According to a description on the website, these classes integrate math, reading and writing with time spent hiking, bird watching or learning to identify berries and mushrooms found in the forest.

As part of this, students also toilet outdoors. The system for doing so originally came to the attention of the Health Department late last month when Spencer invited Health Director Jennifer Hoffman to the school to ensure the system was “by the book.”

Currently, students have access to a porta-potty for their bathroom needs, but at the time, students were using a “luggable loo,” or a bucket with a toilet seat, for defecating, according to Hoffman. For urinating standing up, students used a private stall made with curtains that, at its base, was treated with gravel and wood chips. For urinating sitting down, students used a commode, the contents of which were disposed of in the same area as the private stall.

“(Hoffman’s) concern, from what she said to us, was it was potentially close enough to a hill to feed into a culvert,” Spencer explained. “As far as we were concerned, that did not appear to be how things were flowing … but on her recommendation, we agreed we wouldn’t want to take the risk. We respect that.”

Hoffman also expressed concerns over the way in which the fecal matter was disposed of, which Spencer described was “similar to the way we manage the disposal of diapers.” The contents of the bucket were collected and transferred into a bag disposed of in a dumpster. Hoffman countered, however, that there is more processing that happens with the disposal of diapers. She added that students at that age are at higher risk for spreading gastro-intestinal disease through contact with fecal matter.

Hoffman said after meeting with Spencer last month, she instructed the school to cease all outdoor toileting practices until the Board of Health meets.

At a Board of Health meeting this week, members voted to issue a cease and desist order regarding “their current outdoor toileting.” Included in the discussion was Public Works Director Marlo Warner II, who had concerns about urine making its way down the embankment, into a culvert. As part of the board’s discussion on Wednesday evening, members agreed to recommend a porta-potty as well as a composting toilet or a Kybo, which is a more rustic style of outhouse.

Spencer received an email from Hoffman Thursday morning, letting her know of the board’s vote. She said as of receipt of Hoffman’s email, “we weren’t doing things in a way we needed to cease,” explaining that with the porta-potty in place, the previously described systems for toileting were no longer in practice.

Spencer explained that after meeting with Hoffman last month, she worked with John Boucier of the Department of Environmental Protection and “made some adjustments” to the school’s system.

Hoffman said she was also in contact with Boucier.

“Even if he told her to go with a porta-potty, she has to hear what the board has to say,” Hoffman said, noting the decision ultimately fell within the board’s jurisdiction.

Hoffman said she would be reaching out again to the board to see how they wish to proceed in light of the school going “against the order” with the premature implementation of a porta-potty.

Spencer emphasized that she is grateful for the collaboration of the Health Department and is eager to continue offering a “gold standard K-1 Forest Program.”

“We’ve found it to be wonderful for children’s health and development,” Spencer said. “We’ve seen incredibly low numbers of illnesses and a tremendous amount of thriving on the part of the children. … We wanted to make doubly sure we were doing the very best, both for the kids’ health and safety, and for our environment, which we are stewards of.”

Reporter Mary Byrne can be reached at mbyrne@recorder.com or 413-930-4429. Twitter: @MaryEByrne.

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