SOLON, Ohio — As the Solon City School District continues to address asbestos contamination at Roxbury Elementary, district leaders are assuring families that safety remains the top priority.
In a Sept. 27 update to families, Superintendent Fred Bolden outlined a three-track plan focused on supporting students and staff, coordinating environmental cleanup and restoring the building once it is deemed safe to return.
“Over the past week, we have been surging resources to ensure continuity in academics, special programming and recess activities,” Bolden said.
“Our staff has successfully created a welcoming and familiar environment where learning continues uninterrupted, with full academic programming.”
Students and teachers have been relocated to Parkside Church in Chagrin Falls while environmental experts carry out remediation at Roxbury.
Bolden said in the update that crews are working simultaneously to clean unaffected wings and begin abatement in the north wing, which was impacted by asbestos.
The process is expected to take four to eight weeks, with testing throughout to confirm air quality and safety.
The district is coordinating with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency through the Cleveland Department of Public Health’s Division of Air Quality.
Its abatement company has filed all required notices so that work can proceed under regulatory oversight.
Once cleaning is complete, Roxbury will undergo restoration, with new furnishings and materials replacing items that cannot be salvaged.
The district also plans to strengthen staff training, adding in-person asbestos safety sessions led by environmental experts this fall.
Bolden said the district’s goal is to return students to the building only after it meets the highest safety standards.
“The safety and well-being of our students and staff remains our top priority, and we will not compromise on that commitment,” he said.
Expert explains potential health risks of asbestos exposure
To help families understand potential health impacts, Dr. Snehal Smart, an expert contributor with The Mesothelioma Center at Asbestos.com, said asbestos exposure does not typically cause immediate symptoms, but can have serious long-term effects.
“Asbestos exposure does not immediately impact the health of children and teachers,” Smart said.
“However, in some people, it can cause mild coughing or sneezing due to the body’s natural response to foreign particles in the air accidentally inhaled.
“Over time, about 25 to 50 years after the exposure, asbestos exposure can cause symptoms such as trouble breathing, a chronic cough, frequent lung infections, scarring of the lungs and sometimes even cancer.
“No amount of asbestos exposure is safe,” Smart said. “Even minimal or one-time exposures could lead to serious health issues and disease risk later in life.”
Smart noted that asbestos in schools poses particular concern.
“Asbestos in schools is particularly concerning because the age of the children and the latency period of when the disease will occur will be much earlier compared to asbestos in buildings where adults would be more at risk of exposure and the age at which they would develop the disease would be closer to their later years,” Smart said.
“For example, young children who get exposed to asbestos could develop the rare cancer, mesothelioma, in their early years, such as in their 20s or 30s, and this is around the age they are just settling in(to) their careers, starting families, etc.
“To be diagnosed with a terminal cancer at that age robs many years.”
Because symptoms can take decades to appear, Smart recommends parents document any possible exposure with their child’s doctor.
“Unfortunately, children and staff initially exposed to asbestos may not present with any symptoms, and therefore it is difficult to tell whether they may or may not develop a disease,” she said.
“However, it is recommended to consult a doctor regarding the potential exposure and have the incident documented in medical records for future reference.”
Older buildings commonly contain asbestos, Smart added, and should be closely monitored.
“It is very common for older school buildings to still contain asbestos, and districts should monitor and get state funding for the abatement of asbestos from these schools,” she said.
“As long as the asbestos stays contained and there are no renovations or damage to the building, asbestos cannot cause any health risks.
“However, in incidents where the building could burn down or something due to weather or accidents can damage it, it could lead to a bigger problem.”
If asbestos is discovered, Smart said schools should remain closed until abatement is complete.
“Students should avoid asbestos exposure. The safest option is to close the school until complete abatement and cleanup are done and relocate students to other schools,” she said.
While asbestos-related diseases are rare, Smart said the best prevention is awareness and healthy habits.
“Parents can consult with their child’s pediatrician, have the incident documented and any symptoms they are concerned about should be addressed. It is best to have annual well visits,” she said.
“Families and teachers should know that, depending on the severity of the exposure and the amount of time, the risk of asbestos-related diseases is very minimal,” she said.
“Therefore, the risk of diseases is very minimal.
“Smoking can increase the risks of diseases, so it would be advised to avoid smoking when the children grow into adults, for families or staff to quit smoking to avoid further risks for themselves or secondhand smoke exposure for the children, and to have routine annual well visits with their doctors.”