The school was there first, but they have added another building since the freeway was built. That may be where the confusion comes from.

This article says it opened in 1982 as well [1]. And quoting from the original article “...that prompted Tubman’s creation in the 1980s, ...until..advocates got their way and Tubman was built, the school district bussed thousands of black children out of their own neighborhoods rather than provide them a school of their own.”

I’m trying to find out what it was before it became Harriet Tubman school but not finding anything.

(It doesn’t matter who was there first because we shouldn’t have a school there now. The problem should be corrected and moving the school is the only way. Air filters do not let kids play outside.)

[1] https://www.wweek.com/news/2018/07/04/a-middle-school-prized...

I didn't need to do any search since TFA addresses this point in an unsurprisingly titled section Who was here first?.

It shows a photo. And used that as the basis for the claim. But the article I linked which is long and gives a lot of the story of the school states a number of times it was created in the 1980s. I don’t know if it was repurposed from an old closed building or school or what.

Whether it was there first or not seems irrelevant anyway. If we care about the health of the students the whole school should be moved (unless you think we can move the freeway instead).

As others have pointed out, the school was there first. However, that doesn't mean the school can't be moved. Clearly a school shouldn't be this close to a freeway. Either the freeway should be moved, or ODOT should pay to move the school.

Others have asserted it was there first on the basis of the aerial photograph of a building in the same location. But as I have linked Harriet Tubman school was clearly, 100% created on that spot in 1982. Now if that repurposed an old previously closed school building that’s possible but I haven’t found evidence of that. It’s pretty clear from what is written that Harriet Tubman was built there in 1980s in response to activism from the local black community wanting a school in their neighborhood.

You obviously did not read the article, since it says right there that the high school was first, and even provides a photo of the school next to freeway under construction.

The article might be wrong, but then you'd react to that.

Given that the school was closed for 6 years during which they undoubtedly did not run the climate control systems, the school most likely has mold problems.