MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Leaked audio reveals Tutor Time of Mooresville is committed to keeping the day care open no matter what test results reveal about the coal ash buried beneath the ground. A source provided WCNC Charlotte with audio they said they recorded of Tutor Time's director during a recent staff meeting.
"I will be damned if this school closes down," Tammy Southers said in the recording. "I will keep this motherf-----g school open if there is nothing but three (?) kids and there are three staff kids. I don't care."
As WCNC Charlotte first reported in July, children have spent years playing on top of the coal-burning byproduct that contains known carcinogens, including one that is radioactive. After WCNC Charlotte's "Buried" investigation aired, parents reached out to say the day care failed to disclose the coal ash beneath the ground, placed there decades ago as fill dirt, until WCNC Charlotte pointed it out.
Following WCNC Charlotte's investigation, Tutor Time hired crews to cover a section of exposed coal ash along the fence with sod and moved forward with soil testing plans "out of an abundance of caution."
"You're walking on grass. You're not walking on coal ash," Southers can be heard telling employees during the staff meeting. "I've been here for 10 years and I have not had any symptoms of anything that I would say is because of coal ash."
In a statement, Tutor Time pointed to a recent visual state inspection of the day care that concluded "there is no risk to children at our site".
"After an unannounced visit stemming from a third-party allegation, representatives from both (the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality and the North Carolina Division of Child Development and Early Education) concurred on Aug. 13, 2024, that our facility complies with current state environmental quality requirements, and that our team has fully cooperated with and followed all directives provided by the NC DEQ," the statement said, in part. "As is evidenced in the report, they do not believe that further coal ash testing is necessary."
In the audio recording, taken before the state's inspection, Southers told staff the day care still planned on testing its soil on the playground.
"We are going to be doing, which I think should be done, which I hope, is they go down with cores and they were talking about doing multiple areas, not just one spot on the playground," she said.
WCNC Charlotte is awaiting results, specific to carcinogens, from coal ash samples collected just below the surface of a nearby public median. Southers, during the staff meeting, is heard saying she would question WCNC Charlotte's collection and testing methods if an analysis finds "something." Depending on what tests reveal, the director told staff Tutor Time's corporate office is ready to do whatever it takes to keep the day care open, including tearing down the playground and replacing the grass with turf, if needed.
"Everyone is telling me there's no problem, so I have no reason to believe that there is, but if it bothers you, if this is something you're not comfortable with, I totally understand that and respect that too," Southers can be heard telling staff.
The director's comments came just days after WCNC Charlotte's investigation raised legitimate questions about the arsenic and radium, among other things, in coal ash, especially near and below where children play. Tutor Time said the day care will "continue to trust experts" to guide its decision-making. A Duke University scientist and an environmental attorney and chemical engineer are among the experts who have publicly raised concerns about the 100,000 tons of coal ash under and around the property.
"Tutor Time remains committed to providing a safe learning environment for the children in our care and our staff," a spokesperson told WCNC Charlotte.
In an effort to be fair to the director, WCNC Charlotte returned to Tutor Time Friday and texted her, hoping to give her the chance to listen to what she said and provide a response. That proved unsuccessful.
Eventually, Tutor Time's parent company emailed WCNC Charlotte and asked that all communication go through the corporate office. Learning Care Group's attorney requested to hear some of the recording, which WCNC Charlotte played for him. Although some may hear what sounds like an insensitive comment in part of the recording, a spokesperson said the director did not say anything insensitive.
"We acknowledge that profanity was used by an employee - in the presence of adults only – to emphasize her commitment to the families she serves and to the livelihoods of her staff," the company's statement said, in part. "We value all our early childhood educators and their passion for the children in our care.
Southers sent an alert to parents Wednesday afternoon, ahead of WCNC Charlotte's latest report, detailing the inspection's findings and the day care's commitment to continue following local and state guidance "to ensure state requirements are met."
"We'd like to take this opportunity to update you on the latest developments surrounding coal ash concerns on our property," the alert, obtained by WCNC Charlotte, reads. "Ever since a local news station initially raised the issue, we've relied on the advice and counsel of environmental experts to ensure that our facility is safe for both students and staff."
Contact Nate Morabito at nmorabito@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.