Asbestos Fears May Uproot NJ Elementary Students

February 12, 2007 - Parents in the Montgomery Township, NJ school district are concerned about their children’s exposure to asbestos.  That’s why district officials are considering removing the children from their school, which is located in the center of a 256-acre business complex that’s being demolished to make room for a new, similar complex.

The Trenton Times reports that, according to township officials, The North Princeton Development Center is in such a dire state of disrepair that it must be completely demolished to make room for the new Skillman Village.  Unfortunately, Village Elementary School could be directly affected by the presence of contaminants and parents want to be sure that their kids stay out of harm’s way.  The school is inside the site, amidst 90 buildings which are to be flattened.

"People are scared and people are nervous," said school board president David Pettit. "There's obviously a danger when you're dealing with asbestos."

He adds that relocation of the students may be an outcome of that overwhelming fear.  "It's something we're considering. We are looking at a whole range of options," said Pettit. "Our hope is that moving the kids is the worst-case scenario."

"We have been assured that all of this work can be done safely, without removing the students from the school," said Deputy Mayor Louise Wilson. "There will be pressure on the school board, no doubt, to somehow accommodate the Village School students somewhere else."

"I do not have a preference one way or another," said Mayor Cecilia Birge, in regards to relocating the students. "From the public health and safety perspective there is no need to relocate the school. Ultimately, we are not the last ones to make that call."