Centralia, Illinois – Dozens of students in Illinois, who were planning to return to the class after a week, won’t be coming to the elementary because of the discovery of mold and asbestos finding.
The Centralia City Schools superintendent says the Schiller Elementary will be shut until September last. According to the superintendent, the school is expected to reopen by the end of next month, but it may take more time.
All the classes are moving to the nearby church. According to the administrators, the move is just a matter of their health and safety.
The parents were absolutely shocked to know what was going on inside the school building.
Laveta Middleton, one of the teachers at the Schiller Elementary, said they have 2 days to pack. Middleton, along with the other staff members of the school, is packing up to move out and keep their children from the hazardous intruder.
Amanda Marshall, the Principal of the Schiller Elementary, said the insulation used in the building contains asbestos. The mold which is growing on that is quite visible, she said.
According to Marshall, the asbestos and mold inside the building has to be removed in a month. Till then, nearly 200 school students will be sent to the Calumet Christian Church, she said. Marshall said they’ve a local church which is opened to them. For all classrooms, the school is going to have some extra classrooms, she said. Marshall says they were planning to have a gymnasium, lots of space outside for their kids.
Removal of the mold and asbestos is expected to cost the school district hundreds of thousands of dollars, said Ron Johnson, the President of the Centralia School Board.
Busing for the students has to be adjusted. The meal schedules also will be rearranged accordingly. The first school day for the Schiller Elementary is 18th August.
Johnson said the mold might have developed within the last 3 years when the air conditioning system was replaced. He said air quality testing performed the last school year did not show anything abnormal.
Asbestos, a naturally occurring mineral which was mined abundantly in the past for various commercial applications, is a highly regulated material in the United States because of its potential to cause fatal medical conditions including cancer. Asbestos removal is an expensive and time-consuming procedure and should be conducted by a licensed contractor.
