Back to school nightmare: Parents told of exposure to asbestos contaminated library books
Parents were notified by Department of Education officials on Wednesday that asbestos had been found inside Newcastle East Public School’s heritage building during the school holidays.
Newcastle
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The Department of Education cannot rule out whether hundreds of students, staff and cleaners at Newcastle East Public School have potentially been exposed to deadly asbestos.
Routine monitoring over the school holidays identified hazardous friable asbestos found inside the school’s heritage building as part of works to replace the roof.
A total decontamination was undertaken and school property removed, including library books which are believed to have been contaminated.
Parents were given the shocking news on Wednesday morning as children returned to school for the start of 2020.
A department spokesperson said materials have been removed and all buildings have been cleaned, remediated and re-tested.
“Clearance certificates have been received from independent hygienists for all buildings at the school, and the department is confident the school is safe for students and staff,” the spokesperson said.
“Further and additional air quality monitoring to give the Newcastle East Public School community complete confidence that their children are being educated in the safest conditions is in place.
“The department reiterates that clearance certificates have already indicated that the school is safe.
“Staff have also requested further validation samples on equipment and resources located throughout the school. Further testing will commence this afternoon.”
Two years ago Newcastle MP Tim Crakanthorp raised the issue of asbestos in the school with the then Education Minister Rob Stokes.
He suggested replacement of a deteriorating roof due to the presence of bonded asbestos, but was advised two months later that remediation work would be done in conjunction with capital works at the school.
Again Mr Crakanthorp said he approached the issue in September last year with Education Minister Sarah Mitchell as to whether asbestos was present in any Newcastle electorate schools, with the answer “no”.
Mr Crakanthorp said the recent news demonstrates a severe lack of due diligence.
“This building has a long history of asbestos contamination, in fact, that is the exact reason works were being undertaken at the school,” he said.
“You would think testing these rooms to make sure they were safe for staff and students would have been a top priority. The fact they weren’t isn’t just disgraceful, it is sheer negligence and the Minister needs to explain how this was allowed to occur.
“We need to know how many kids have been exposed and what supports are available to staff and parents now that they are having to deal with this news.”