Dominican Education Ministry seeks investigation into toxic chemical incidents at schools

Santo Domingo.- The Ministry of Education (MINERD) has filed formal complaints with environmental prosecutors in Duarte and Valverde provinces following recent cases of poisoning that affected students, teachers, and staff at several schools. Acting on behalf of Minister Luis Miguel De Camps García, the ministry’s Legal Department requested immediate investigations into the misuse of toxic chemicals near educational centers.

The incidents occurred at the Ana Celeste Fernández school in La Guama, Duarte, and at the Leónidas Ricardo Román High School and Fidelina Reyes Labor School in Santa Cruz de Mao, Valverde. Emergency protocols were activated in both cases, leading to class suspensions and student evacuations to safeguard the health of the school community. Authorities reported that the Mao case was linked to pesticide spraying on a neighboring property less than 200 meters from the affected schools.

In its filings, MINERD provided evidence from Civil Defense and Public Health and cited possible violations of the Penal Code and Law 311-68 on pesticide use. The ministry urged prosecutors to identify those responsible and apply criminal penalties, noting that negligence or recklessness in handling toxic substances can carry prison sentences and fines under Dominican law.