NJ Teachers Question Asbestos Removal

February 9, 2007 - Concerned faculty members at Jackson Memorial High School in Central New Jersey are questioning the school district about the validity of reports which maintain that dangerous asbestos has been removed from their building.

According to an article in the Asbury Free Press, the teachers are searching for some sort of certifying document from the companies that removed the material so they can verify the facts.  So far, none have been produced.

"Quite frankly, we don't think abatements were done," Anne McCormick, 51, a chemistry teacher at the school.  McCormick notes that they’ve seen air quality reports from Environmental Design Inc. (EDI), the company that supposedly completed work at the school, but no documents certifying asbestos removal have been produced.

School Superintendent Thomas Gialanella said in a written statement that the school district has no record of the asbestos clean-ups other than the EDI reports. Those reports summarize the work performed, the company that performed it and the results of subsequent testing, said Gialanella.

"I consider that to be a comprehensive report," Gialanella said in the statement, adding that New Jersey does not require any additional records for the type of asbestos removal that was done.

The teachers, however, note that reports from the state Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) led them to believe otherwise.  For example, an EPA report dated December 28, 2006 notes that a recently renovated restroom in the school's C-Wing may contain asbestos behind its walls, said chemistry teacher Duane Murawski, leading some teachers to suspect workers covered up asbestos rather than remove it.

Faculty members also believe that some asbestos was removed while students were in the building though school district officials allege otherwise.  For example, a surprise visit by the EPA in October resulted in the discovery of free asbestos in the C-wing.  EDI performed an air quality test at 4:30 that same afternoon, indicating that they had used the time between the inspection and the test to remove the asbestos.  School is in session until 1:40 for most students and 5 pm for those who stay for extracurricular activities so students would have been inside when the asbestos was removed.