Parents of thomas o’brien academy students learn of asbestos problems at school

Schenectady, New York â€" The Thomas O’Brien Academy of Science and Technology was last week forced to close for the upcoming school year due to asbestos-related problems. The Albany District school must undergo considerable asbestos remediation before it can open again. Parents were later informed of the school’s problems at a meeting on Friday July 25. Parents learned that the school’s five hundred students, in pre-kindergarten to grade six, will be relocated to other schools while the Academy is closed. According to school district spokesperson Ron Lesko students will be relocated to the former Philip Schuyler Elementary School for the duration of the work on the school. Work began on the Academy and it’s ‘parent’ school Giffen Elementary School when the school year ended in June, as part of a general improvement project. The Academy was shut down at that time to complete a small asbestos remediation project. However, when the crews began their work, they discovered that there was much more asbestos in the Academy building than was previously thought. According to Ron Lesko, asbestos was found in places from which it was thought it had been removed in the late 1980s. Some parents were worried at the news that asbestos was a problem at the school, but most are pleased at how the issue has been handled. The Academy, they say, has done the best it could in a bad situation, and has handled the problems promptly. A few parents are angry, however, because the first they heard of the asbestos problem and the closure of the school was on the evening news. Asbestos issues are increasingly prevalent in schools across the country. The substance was once heavily used in construction materials of many different types, but is now becoming a serious problem. As these buildings age the risk of asbestos exposure increases, and removal is a costly procedure. Federal law requires that all schools adhere to Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) guidelines which require schools to create and maintain asbestos management plans. In addition, schools must be inspected every three years, and asbestos management plans must be available for public review by staff and parents. After the discovery of the extra asbestos at the Thomas O’Brien Academy, air samples were taken in school buildings, but showed there were no elevated asbestos levels present. School officials estimate that the Academy will reopen for the 2009-2010 school year. Officials will meet with parents again this week to discuss more issues relating to the asbestos and the closure of the school. (Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News)