From the BCCT.
School is open today.
School will be open for students at MSHS
February 10, 2009
Dear Parents/Guardians,
Today, I closed the Middle/Senior High School when I was informed that an electrical contractor working in the building may have drilled into asbestos above the ceiling tiles in two different areas of the school. I took this proactive move because I felt it was important to bring in our environmental consultant to test the surface and air quality in the building.
This evening around 8:45 p.m. I spoke with our environmental consultants who reported that all air samples taken within the impacted areas revealed concentrations well less than the clearance criteria established by the EPA. Additionally, surface samples collected in the same impact areas revealed levels of none detected for asbestos content.
Based on the discussion with our environmental consultant, the Middle/Senior High School will reopen tomorrow, Wednesday, February 11.
The environmental consultant will provide a written report tomorrow by noon. You will be able to review the document in the business office. I will also have the report posted on the district’s website.
I am very sorry for any inconvenience that you experienced today because of the closing. I appreciate your continued support.
Sincerely, Dr. Elizabeth Hammond Yonson Superintendent Morrisville School District
Three schools built in the 1950's? It's a pretty certain bet that there's asbestos present. Let's see the district's asbestos management plan.
Ask the board members themselves at the Infrastructure Committee meeting tonight. The meeting is only a few doors away from the administration offices. They should be able to pull out that plan in a jiffy.
Asbestos concern sends students home early
By MANASEE WAGH
The high school will reopen today, one day after it was discovered that electrical work in the building has dislodged asbestos. The district superintendent said it's "highly unlikely" any children would have breathed in the toxic substance.
Morrisville students had to deal with another interruption to their educations Tuesday.
The kids were sent home early after electrical work in the high school dislodged asbestos within the building's walls.
A contractor doing wiring work in Morrisville Middle/Senior High School bored six small holes high inside walls he reached behind ceiling tiles in two hallways Monday night.
The incident came to light during a construction meeting Tuesday morning. The contractor told officials he didn't tell anyone Monday because he didn't know he had penetrated the asbestos-containing material.
After a precautionary test by the Trenton firm Environmental Connections showed positive for asbestos later Tuesday morning, the school district dismissed students for the day. Parents were notified by phone and e-mail of the early dismissal.
Superintendent Elizabeth Yonson said late Tuesday night the school will reopen today after further air and surface test reports by Environmental Connections revealed no asbestos danger in the building.
Yonson said the school district also contacted an asbestos specialist at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Bucks County Health Department and Bob Seward, the code official for the borough.
The newspaper was unsuccessful in reaching Seward, health department or EPA officials for comment Tuesday.
"The environmental guy says it's nothing," Yonson said, because it appears the asbestos fibers didn't migrate from inside the wall. Because of that, she said it's "highly unlikely" any children would have breathed in the toxic substance.
She also said it couldn't have gotten into the ventilation system because the building uses unit ventilators in each room, and there was no ductwork involved. Yonson said the school was evacuated and a contractor started cleaning the area as a precaution.
The EPA started doing surface and air testing Tuesday afternoon, said Tim Lastichen, the school district's director of facilities.
"We have taken a very proactive approach. The health and welfare of our students and staff are very important to us and we have done everything possible to ensure that the building is safe," Yonson said Tuesday afternoon.
Asbestos is a fibrous natural mineral that was used as insulation for many years before its dangers were known.
It becomes dangerous when microscopic particles flake off and become airborne, lodging in the lungs.
Asbestos exposure can lead to lung scarring and lung cancers, although that is most common among people who have worked with the substance for an extended period.
Dave May, the school district's head of public safety, said the evacuation went quickly and smoothly and children were dispatched home safely.
Some elementary students were also in the building, where they've been placed for the rest of the school year after M.R. Reiter Elementary was closed due to a December furnace explosion.
Pam Scott, the parent of an eighth-grade student attending classes in the high school, was distressed after hearing that the district didn't discover the asbestos problem until Tuesday morning.
She has four other children who will attend the high school in the future.
"This involves small children. I'm so upset [about asbestos] just being in the building. The contractors should know this stuff; they should be aware of it," she said.
All about asbestos
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral fiber, once widely used in building materials for its thermal insulating properties and fire resistance. Although the removal of asbestos from school buildings is an option for schools, many schools and local education agencies have chosen to manage some asbestos-containing building material in place. A number of building materials still in use today contain asbestos. Asbestos remains in use as an acoustic insulator, and in thermal insulation, fire proofing, roofing, flooring and other materials.
Exposure Risk: Intact, undisturbed asbestos-containing materials generally do not pose a health risk. These materials may become hazardous and pose increased risk if they are damaged, are disturbed or deteriorate over time and release asbestos fibers into building air.
Friable asbestos, or asbestos that can be broken by hand pressure, is of greatest concern because these fibers can most easily be released into the air and inhaled into the lungs. Examples of potentially hazardous materials include: friable asbestos-containing boiler wrap, pipe wrap insulation, ceiling tiles, and wallboard.
Asbestos exposure can lead to diseases such as lung cancer, asbestosis (lung scarring), and mesothelioma (cancer of the lung cavity lining). There is a long latency period for these diseases. It could be 30 years after exposure before symptoms of disease begin. The risk of lung cancer and mesothelioma increases with the number of fibers inhaled. The risk of lung cancer from inhaling asbestos fibers is also greater if you smoke.
All about asbestos
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral fiber, once widely used in building materials for its thermal insulating properties and fire resistance. Although the removal of asbestos from school buildings is an option for schools,many schools and local education agencies have chosen to manage some asbestos-containing building material in place. A number of building materials still in use today contain asbestos. Asbestos remains in use as an acoustic insulator, and in thermal insulation, fire proofing, roofing, flooring and other materials.
Exposure Risk: Intact, undisturbed asbestos-containing materials generally do not pose a health risk. These materials may become hazardous and pose increased risk if they are damaged, are disturbed or deteriorate over time and release asbestos fibers into building air.
Friable asbestos, or asbestos that can be broken by hand pressure, is of greatest concern because these fibers can most easily be released into the air and inhaled into the lungs. Examples of potentially hazardous materials include: friable asbestos-containing boiler wrap, pipe wrap insulation, ceiling tiles, and wallboard.
Asbestos exposure can lead to diseases such as lung cancer, asbestosis (lung scarring), and mesothelioma (cancer of the lung cavity lining). There is a long latency period for these diseases. It could be 30 years after exposure before symptoms of disease begin. The risk of lung cancer and mesothelioma increases with the number of fibers inhaled. The risk of lung cancer from inhaling asbestos fibers is also greater if you smoke.
THE ASBESTOS HAZARD EMERGENCY RESPONSE ACT RULES REQUIRE SCHOOLS WHERE ASBESTOS MATERIALS ARE PRESENT TO TAKE ACTIONS TO:
Perform an original inspection and re-inspection every three years of asbestos-containing material
Develop, maintain, and update an asbestos management plan and keep a copy at the school
Provide yearly notification to parent, teacher, and employee organizations regarding the availability of the school’s asbestos management plan and any asbestos abatement actions taken or planned in the school
Designate a contact person to ensure the responsibilities of the local education agency are properly implemented
Perform periodic surveillance of known or suspected asbestos-containing building material
Ensure that properly accredited professionals perform inspections and response actions and prepare management plans
Provide custodial staff with asbestos-awareness training
Schools also must comply with the Asbestos National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants which requires that owners or operators of facilities notify the appropriate authority (usually the state air pollution control agency) before demolishing or renovating facilities.
If minimum amounts of regulated asbestos will be removed or disturbed, the owner/operator must adequately wet and carefully remove the asbestos components, keeping them wet until collected for disposal, and then disposing of the asbestos waste in accordance with the regulations.
Parents, teachers, and school employees, or their representatives, have the right to inspect the school’s asbestos management plan. The school must make the plan available within a reasonable amount of time.
The asbestos management plan must be updated with information collected during periodic surveillance every 6 months, re-inspections every 3 years, and every time a response action is taken within the school.Also, records of annual notifications to parents, teachers, and staff concerning the availability of the school’s asbestos management plan must be included within the asbestos management plan files.
Federal law only requires testing following an asbestos repair or removal activity to determine whether the activity has been properly completed. This is done by measuring the amount of asbestos in the air where the repair or removal activity has taken place.
Source: Environmental Protection Agency
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
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5 comments:
"Some elementary students were also in the building, where they've been placed for the rest of the school year after M.R. Reiter Elementary was closed due to a December furnace explosion."
I know it seems to be heading this way, but is this official or just a fact-checking issue? Isn't Feb. 23 still the trailer date?
Congratulations to Dr Yonson and the staff for again rising to the challenge and making sure that our kids were as safe as possible.
Who is overseeing this renovation process? This is a 50 year old building. The presence of asbestos is assumed. For a contractor to be quoted as not knowing they had penetrated the asbestos barrier says that they have not been briefed on the asbestos abatement procedures already in place.
I'll ask again. Where is the overall plan that coordinates all these activities so that we all know what work is being done by who and where?
I agree with everything Kevin L says, although I must say that a 9:15 pm phone blast last night saying school is back on today is mighty inconvenient for all the families that made prior arrangements thinking school was off. Plus, I'm glad the air test news was not horrific, but "concentrations well less than the clearance criteria established by the EPA" doesn't exactly make me feel warm and fuzzy about sending anyone back in there. I would have felt better with "none detected" all around.
It should be standard procedure on all work of this nature (high voltage, known presence of asbestos) to have pre-job safety briefings and a real health & safety plan in place.
In the business world that some have previously referenced as a paragon of virtue and efficiency compared to school districts, what just happened at the Middle-High School would probably result in the subcontractor and even the main contractor being thrown off the job (i.e. FIRED). What's going to happen here?
Anyone doing work there should be empowered to stop any activity that is or appears to be unsafe or is not being conducted in accordance with health & safety procedures established BEFORE the job starts.
This belongs about a week back, but it provides more info on the closing of M.R. Reiter, from the Feb. 4 Yardley News. "Bailey, a school teacher,..."???
Public speaks out about M.R. Reiter elementary school
Morrisville parents question how students will receive a quality education with M.R. Reiter closing.
By Petra Chesner Schlatter; Staff Editor
Only 17 members of the public spoke at the Morrisville School Board's special public hearing on Jan. 19.
The subject was whether or not M.R. Reiter Elementary School should be closed. In December, the school's furnace exploded and has been closed since then.
Ed Bailey said, "I'm here as a father, taxpayer and voter. I'm more concerned with what goes on inside the school than the buildings themselves. What I want is a really good education going on in the building.
"I am also concerned about how we decide issues," he claimed, calling for a compromise. "We shouldn't seesaw back and forth There's been a lot of anger."
Bailey, a school teacher, asked the community "to come together and decide what the majority wants. What I don't want is to get all bent out of shape."
He questioned what would happen if M.R. Reiter Elementary School closed. "Will it be open space, left in tact or sold?"
Bailey said the district-owned Manor Park Elementary School, now leased by the Head Start program, could be used. He asserted the lease could be broken."
Ann Perry commented that steps should be taken "to improve the transparency" of the board's actions. She asserted decisions are "being made without the public's input."
Perry asked when the board would vote to either close or keep M.R. Reiter open. The school board cannot make a decision for 90 days, according to Board Solicitor Mike Fitzpatrick.
John Perry, who was thrown out of the school board meeting on Jan. 28, contended his First Amendment and Free Speech rights were violated that night. Referring to the December furnace explosion at M.R. Reiter, Perry said, "It was just a matter of time before a tragic incident."
Perry called upon people to vote the current majority out of office. He said after 15 months on the board, the new majority has not taken any action and does not have a long-range plan for the condition of the schools.
Former School Board Member Johanny Manning criticized the board for its management of the school district. She questioned why the new majority paid for a study of the two elementary schools, which she said had already been done.
Kathryn Panzitta, a Morrisville Borough Councilmember, stressed her comments were personal and not those of the borough council. She questioned how the school board plans to close Reiter and continue to provide good educational programs. "How will closing M.R. Reiter affect the children's needs?"
Panzitta recalled the school board majority had plans to close M.R. Reiter before the furnace explosion. She said the public needs more information from the school board.
Susan Scott, whose daughter was attending Reiter, appealed to the board to rectify the problem. "My second-grader comes home and says, 'Mom, where am I going to go to school?'"
According to Scott, her daughter is having difficulty adjusting. "I have seen a decline in her grades."
From today's BCCT....
CORRECTIONS & CLARIFICATIONS
By: Manasee Wagh
Bucks County Courier Times
Students in grades one, two and five are being housed at the Morrisville Middle/Senior High School due to the closing of M.R. Reiter Elementary. The district aims to move grades one and two into modular units on Grandview Elementary School property by the end of this month. Incorrect information appeared Wednesday in an article about a possible asbestos problem in the high school.
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