Lodi, California – A California elementary school is in disarray after the discovery of asbestos on campus. Mokelumne River School has become something of a battle ground, as almost one hundred teachers, parents, and members of the wider community attempt to determine exactly what went on following the discovery.

Asbestos was discovered in the school on February 26. It is believed that the discovery is the result of asbestos disturbance that occurred during walkway repairs carried out over President’s Day weekend.

Since the asbestos was discovered, a number of school board members have resigned or been fired. Nadine Zerbe, the school’s principal, has been asked to leave, despite the fact that she has the support of many parents.

A total of five school board members—including four former members and one who still retains a position on the board—have leveled accusations at Clifford Goehring, who is a school co-founder and the president of the school board. Mokelumne River School was founded by the Goehring family in 1971.

Among the accusations are that Clifford Goehring failed to properly notify students, parents, and members of the board of the asbestos discovery, in a reasonable amount of time.

Some parents believe that Goehring’s actions constitute a deliberate cover-up, claiming that the school board president asked others to keep quiet about the asbestos discovery, and also that Goehring tried to influence asbestos testing ordered by the school board.

In addition, the four school board members that had been fired were removed from their positions by Clifford Goehring himself. The four claim that they had asked Goehring to resign, because they believed he had mismanaged the school’s asbestos problem. Several days later, Goehring fired them.

On the evening of March 6, an evening meeting discussed how to handle the asbestos problem, and what to do about Goehring’s actions. Many parents, as well as several school board members, believe that Goehring mishandled the problem and attempted to cover-up the issue, and are calling for the school board president’s resignation.

Others are simply confused and trying to deal with the issues in a way that will present the least interference to the education of their children.

The problem of asbestos in schools is set to become an increasingly widespread issue. Asbestos was widely used in schools, particularly between the 1940s and 1980s, as a fire-retardant, insulator, and acoustic barrier in a variety of building materials. As these materials—and the schools themselves—age, needed repairs and renovations may cause disturbance to asbestos materials that, in turn, disturbs the daily routine of the school itself.

To deal with the problem of asbestos in schools, the Environmental Protection Agency requires that all schools which contain asbestos maintain a management plan that details the location of asbestos in the school, and the measures that are taken to ensure the safety of all who attend the school. Parents and school employees can request to see a copy of their school’s asbestos management plan at any time.

As for Mokelumne River School, asbestos remediation is underway in affected areas. Mokelumne River Superintendent Shannon Woodward says that the affected classrooms should be made available to students within two weeks, depending on the results of follow-up air quality tests that will be carried out after asbestos remediation is completed.

This entry was posted on Friday, March 21st, 2008 at 10:05 am and is filed under Asbestos Exposure, California. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS feed. Responses are currently closed, but you trackback from your own site.