No date for opening of asbestos school
There is still no date for a Staffordshire school to re-open after it was closed following the release of dangerous asbestos fibres into a nursery room filled with children.
Education bosses at Staffordshire County Council have said Glenthorne Primary School, in Cheslyn Hay, will remain shut until after the Easter holidays but they can not give a date for when it will re-open. Staffordshire County Council is spending thousands of pounds of taxpayers' money to strip the school of any materials which could harbour asbestos fibres.
This includes computers, paperwork, furniture, and personal items including clothes, jackets etc.
Parents will be informed by a letter from the education authority as soon as a date for the re-opening is known.
The school was closed after workmen disturbed lethal Asbestos Insulation Board fibres while removing a book cupboard in the nursery where children were present on February 13, the day before half-term holidays.
Parents were not informed until a week later when the council sent out letters to each of the school's 178 families and the Health and Safety Executive launched an investigation.
Since the closure younger pupils have been transferred to Cheslyn Hay Primary School while older pupils have been taken by bus to Boney Hay Primary School, over seven miles away.
Asbestos Insulation Boards are among the most high-risk asbestos containing materials and the Health and Safety Executive has confirmed the exposure has led to a limited risk to the children.
Staffordshire County Council could well face legal action under the Health and Safety at Work Act or the Control of Asbestos Regulations.
Tom Hobbins, spokesman for Staffordshire County Council said: "The investigation into the accidental release of asbestos fibres is still under way. The school is still on track to re-open after the Easter Holidays."
