The parents of students who attend Public School 256, located in the Rockaways, have learned the school’s condition is in worse shape than originally expected. Newly found problems have made the peeling paint, broken tiles, and crumbling plaster the least of their worries. Recently, a Department of Education (DOE) report has shown deteriorating asbestos-containing materials exist throughout the school’s entire campus.

Public school 256 is attended by children with autism or severe emotional disorders, and as one parent says, they have enough to worry about taking care of their children, without having to worry about the school they attend, too.

Albert Hiller, president of the parents’ association, says parents appreciate the care their children receive at the school, but many are shocked by the school’s dilapidated and hazardous condition.

Thousands of schools were built using asbestos-containing construction materials because of the strong and fire-resistant nature of asbestos fibers. Unfortunately, damaged asbestos-containing materials often release toxic fibers that can result in serious health hazards. If asbestos fibers are inhaled, diseases such as asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma can develop.

Many schools that were built asbestos materials end up spending thousands of dollars on asbestos containment and removal in an effort to keep students and staff safe from asbestos cancers.

In 1986, the federal government, in conjunction with the Environmental Protection Agency, developed a set of guidelines to manage asbestos in schools. According to these regulations, all schools that contain asbestos must have a management plan in place that can be viewed by the staff and public at any time.

The guidelines require all schools to maintain an asbestos management document with information on the location of asbestos in the school, its condition, and any steps that are taken to contain or remove it.

Teachers at Public School 256 say the DOE toured the school in July, and took note of its dilapidated state. DOE officials will be meeting this week to discuss what to do about the school.

Randi Weingarten, president of the teachers’ union, has questioned why the DOE bought the building to begin with given its poor condition. In addition to asbestos, union officials are also concerned because the school may be contaminated with lead paint, which is known to cause learning difficulties.

This entry was posted on Monday, August 25th, 2008 at 12:31 pm and is filed under Asbestos Exposure. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS feed. Responses are currently closed, but you trackback from your own site.