The old Bayshore High School in Bradenton was torn down 18 years ago.
- Some alumni of Bayshore High asking if old school location has a cancer cluster
- Hundreds of alumni diagnosed over the years
- Manatee Co. commissioners vote that investigation is needed
But a mystery has existed since then.
Hundreds of alumni of the school have or continue to battle cancer, leaving many to ask was the 5401 34th Street West campus the source of their illnesses.
Now, the hunt for an explanation has caught the attention of Manatee County commissioners.
On Tuesday, commissioners agreed that an investigation needs to be conducted. The commission voted unanimously to meet with the school board before deciding how to move forward.
The vote came after Manatee County officials presented a report to the commission on the former school site's water wells. Many Bayshore alumni believe the school's water source is what made them sick.
But according to Tuesday's report, there are no signs of contamination in the water students are drinking or in the soil on the school grounds. But county staff confirmed there are four wells on the property.
The health department has not tested those wells yet.
Two of those wells have been capped but the other two are still being used for irrigation, something parents are still worried about.
"If the sprinklers come on and they're hot they're going to play in them," said parent Kristin Moore. "If there's water and they're out there sweating, they are going to drink it. Just because it's an irrigation well it doesn't mean that kids aren't going to drink that water, and it doesn't mean it isn't dangerous to anybody."