NAACP wants to close Arlington school affected by 'dirty sock syndrome'

ARLINGTON, Texas - The NAACP wants an Arlington school closed to students and teachers because they say the air is not safe there.

However, Arlington ISD maintains the school is safe, and they've used thousands of taxpayer dollars to test the school.

MORE: Arlington ISD fixing 'dirty sock syndrome' at junior high school

The civil rights organization says since September there have been more than 500 complaints of a bad smell at Nichols Junior High School linked to headaches, nausea and dizziness.

The district hoped the illness would end after it made changes to the heating and cooling system, but the NAACP says people are still getting sick.

Representatives asked for a court order on Thursday barring the district from allowing students and staff on campus until the problem has been fixed.

“If they're not gonna advocate and provide a safe and humane educational environment for those students, we're gonna fight for those people,” said Arlington NAACP President Alisa Simmons. “Remove the students and staff from that school and go find out what the problem is.”

The NAACP is not a party in the lawsuit but is providing its own attorneys and partnering with local ones on behalf of the affected families.