After white debris was found in a room at Schreiber High School, raising fears of asbestos exposure, the teachers union asked that teachers be moved elsewhere until a written report on asbestos testing was received. But the administration denied the request.
Administrators at the Port Washington school district responded to the union’s request on Jan. 4 and the room was kept in use. It was then closed on Jan. 30 after additional debris was found, according to a district spokesman.
The district is awaiting further review and additional recommendations from the state Department of Labor, Principal Ira Pernick said.
The district said initial testing of debris in room 10 showed no evidence of asbestos.
A Jan. 7 test on airborne asbestos fibers in the room found minimal amounts, 0.003 fibers per cubic centimeter, that were below the legal limit of 0.1 fibers per cubic centimeter, according to results from EMSL Analytical Inc., which did the work.
But the district’s log of asbestos-containing materials at the school showed that the pipe insulation, ceiling plaster, mud joint packing, fire door insulation and chalkboard mastic in the room are listed as containing asbestos.
In her response on Jan. 4 to the Port Washington Teachers Association, Superintendent of Schools Kathleen Mooney said in an email also sent to members of the school administration and Meghan Harding, one of the classroom teachers of room 10, that “insisting on a written report before returning to the room is unreasonable when experts and district officials are able to authorize reinstatement.”
She added that “the PWTA can ask for the room to remain closed but may not issue a directive to administration or staff that could result in insubordination. The request does not have to be honored.”
“Questioning the word of district administrators is most upsetting and does not bode well for the future,” Mooney said.
She said the report would be made available to the union as soon as the district administration received it but in the interim the room was to be used. The report on testing of the debris was subsequently given to the union, a district spokesman said.
Efforts to reach Mooney for comment were unavailing.
A spokesman for the state Department of Labor said in an email, “Our Health and Safety investigators are looking into the asbestos situation” at Schreiber High School.
In the district’s log, all the mentioned building materials in room 10 are said to contain friable asbestos except for the chalkboard mastic.
When asbestos is friable, it means that it can be easily broken down by hand.
The pipe insulation was assessed at a category 1 in the school’s August inspection, which means the material was identified as being damaged or significantly damaged thermal system insulation.
In January, the district log said that a minor abatement was conducted on room 10’s ceiling plaster and thermal system insulation as well as enclosing the insulation and ceiling plaster.
This was the first time work had been done in room 10 since September 2017, according to the log.
The Port Washington Board of Education approved a $60,000 transfer of funds to pay for asbestos inspections, removal, air monitoring and other work at its Tuesday night meeting.
A recent joint statement from the superintendent and Pernick said that the district’s facilities staff continues to follow a comprehensive asbestos inspection surveillance plan every six months, which is required by the state.
“The well-being of our students, staff and community is the Port Washington School District’s top priority,” the statement said. “The district has also been working cooperatively with the New York State Department of Labor to ensure each classroom is a safe working environment for all students and teachers.”
