An elementary school was forced to close on Friday, November 7 following the discovery of asbestos in the building.
Officials at George R. Allen Elementary told parents not to bring their children to school over concern for the safety of the students. However, a spokesperson for the district school board said the risk of exposure was very small and that the closure was just a precautionary measure after the finding.
There has been ongoing renovation work to the heating system of the building for several months, which included drilling into the ceilings of some of the classrooms. During a routine inspection of the renovation project earlier in the week, the Ministry of Labour learned that two classrooms' ceilings had plaster that was made containing asbestos.
Air quality tests were done, and results showed there were minimal levels of asbestos fibers present in those rooms.
The school board has ordered for testing to be done in the boiler room's ceiling as well, concerned that the drilling there may have led to the release of fibers. The testing will occur through the weekend.
The board invited parents to a meeting Thursday night to openly discuss the situation.
Some parents said they were worried about the amount of time that had passed between the initial drilling and when tests showed the presence of asbestos. One student's mother said she felt reassured by the board's level of response to matter, however.
Classes are expected to resume as usual the following Monday.
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