CALL FOR SAFE SCHOOL VOLUNTEERS FOR HALLOWEEN

Another letter that came home today is from Theresa Campbell-Manager, Safe Schools for the district.

Just wanted to put it up here that they are asking for anyone who wants to volunteer to join a small group to take shifts to walk around the grounds of the school which will hopefully deter youths from even approaching the school. 

According to the letter the Surrey School District took close to $700,000 out of it's budget to repair damage done by vandals which I'm assuming took place on Halloween. 

You can call 604-599-7461 if you are interested in volunteering. 

Does anyone know if our school was hit by vandals on Halloween in recent years? 

POD 300 ABATEMENT WORK COMPLETE

If you didn't get the letter in your child's backpack today, Janet Brine has written a letter stating that the abatement work is now complete and the second phase is to inspect all the beams, wood etc. under there (floor joists) and determine if any of them need replacing. 

I for one am glad that this work is over with, I know a few kids who were not attending class during this process and I am one of many that seriously considered pulling my child out during this time frame. 

Although the work is not over yet, there are some lessons here that I hope the district learns from. 
One that this should have been checked out this summer while the east side of the crawl space was being looked at, only makes sense, because common sense would have suggested that if one side is a mess the other side probably is too.  The work could have been completed in the summertime.

Secondly, the parents seemed once again to be the ones monitoring this process to the degree that we could.  It was parents who noticed the fans not working, parents who reported it and parents who pushed for answers.  Thankfully WorksafeBC was once again needed to be brought into this and has asked for a full report of why the fans failed and that one of the specialists be on board regularly throughout the day to monitor the fans so that the parents didn't have to.  To me this would have been an early consideration from the school district and should be an embarrassing point. 

This also points out that parents have to continue staying vigilant and reporting anything suspicious, backed up by an email so it is put in writing to Mrs. Brine. 

I would also like to point out that since the return of Mrs. Brine to our school she has seemed very quick to respond to all questions and emails that parents have sent her way and I am grateful for that.  Thanks Mrs. Brine for your increased level of communication, a HUGE improvement from what we've experienced in the past year. 

And the first scheduled healthy school meeting is set for next week, hope you were able to submit your name to be a part of that group. 

If there is nothing to report tomorrow, have a great Halloween everyone and I hope the skies hold for all our excited little and not so little trick or treaters! 

Hmmm... This Site Might offer more Insight

As I was searching for some answers I came across this website and thought it should be shared. 
School Mold Help .  (just click on the link to go to the website) I haven't read through it all but am finding it very helpful and interesting. 

If you read an article from this site and want to share your thoughts please click on the comment link below and share what you think.  Thanks!

ALL FANS RUNNING? NOT TODAY POD 300

Thank you to some wonderfully caring parents who observed that at least 3 of the negative pressure fans being used under the 300 pod were not working this morning. 

Mrs. Brine was asked why, she is going to be calling Steve Greentree at Pacific Environmental. 

Could it be that not all the fans are necessary?  Are some of them not functioning properly?  Will keep you posted on this as soon as we know. 

HEALTHY SITE GROUP--CALL FROM MRS. BRINE

Happy Monday everyone! 

Just to let those of you following along or checking out our site from time to time that a letter came home on Oct. 21 from Mrs. Brine regarding the assembling of a group of parents, herself and Rick Ryan (Assistant Superintendent) to "continue the conversation around the maintenance of a healthy site for our children."

She is asking parents to email her directly at brine_j@sd36.bc.ca  if you would like to be a part of this group.  It is set to meet during the daytime and if you are interested please send her an email with your request. 

What Did You Think?

The Parent Meeting that Occurred this past Tuesday Evening

There was a great turnout of parents and guest speakers which was really great to see. 
There seemed to be a small mix of reviews of the meeting and it would be great to see and hear what you thought. 
In my opinion the meeting was good on one hand and not so on another.  There was not enough time allotted to parents to ask questions and for me that was the purpose of the meeting.  Being asked to submit questions ahead of time made me question the integrity of the meeting and most of those questions were never answered by the panel which was disappointing and a let down to parents.  The parents were cut off from asking questions after only a few minutes. 

Definitely the folks from Pacific Environmental are very knowledgeable, shared their knowledge and carefully explained many procedures. 
Larry from WorksafeBC also was very clear about his role and the role of WorksafeBC which was great to hear. 
The folks from the school district?  Well, I need to be polite I suppose but Nancy Johnston should not be part of this process barely uttered a word of truth and did more verbal damage than good. 

In regard to pod 300 I think that the process they are undertaking to keep the pod safe while the abatement work is undertaken should keep everyone safe from harmful chemicals, mould and asbestos but then again, breakdowns do happen.  Is there a risk?  Yes, small but yes, anything can happen but I did feel better hearing the details of how they were keeping the pod safe for our kids and teachers.  I did suggest that while the abatement work was happening that the kids should be taught in another space but I don't see that happening. 

One thing for sure that I think more parents who attended became aware of is the fact that the district has done an incredibly terrible job of communicating to parents.  Period.  And that needs to change.  We have a new area superintendent (yeah!) and hopefully he is miles better than the last one. 

It was also clear in the meeting that the work that has been done has been done only because WorksafeBC has basically demanded it be done, and within time lines.  And WorksafeBC only got involved because of callers from parents and teachers calling out of concern.  Otherwise WorksafeBC wouldn't have known about the asbestos or the mould and the work wouldn't have been done.  I believe the district has been issued a verbal warning of a pretty hefty fine if they do not follow the instructions of WorksafeBC.  Another school in the Lower Mainland was issued a large fine for violating the "recommendations" of WorksafeBC for exactly the same kind of asbestos related issues. 

When a small group of parents asked Larry in private after the general meeting was over if we could relax now, stop thinking we have to be vigilant with the school we were told "No".  We were told we needed to keep looking out and doing what we have been doing in order to ensure the school district does what it's supposed to do. 

Larry also addressed the parents and told them that if they have any concerns they should call anytime to WorksafeBC, either anonymously or not and any concerns will be looking into within a 5 day window. 

In the end I still think the district will put their bottom line ahead of the health and safety of our children and teachers but at least the process has been started and they are being held accountable and we do have WorksafeBC and Fraser Health to back us up and be there for all of us.  There is comfort in that. 

Nothing happens overnight and I think we are moving in the right direction but there is a lot of work still ahead. 

I'd personally like to step back, take a breather from this and focus on getting ready for Halloween. 

But wait, have you seen the ferns growing on the inside of the ceiling in the library?  Hmmm...

Wishing you all a wonderful 3 day weekend with your kids!  For more information on WorksafeBC, click on the link here to go directly to their site.  WorksafeBC website

Meeting is Tomorrow Evening at 7:00pm

Please attend the meeting tomorrow at 7:00pm at the school.  Bring your questions and hear what the folks from Pacific Environmental and WorksafeBC have to say.  This should be a very interesting and informative meeting and hopefully clear up a lot of concerns. 

If you can't make the meeting but want to make sure your question is asked please leave it in the comment form below. 

One more thought for the day:  There seems to be two schools (no pun intended) of thought about the level of concern over the mould and asbestos issues within our children's school.  In the end though I think we can all agree that what we all want is a safe, healthy environment for all our kids when they go to school every day.  And that, in the end, is what this meeting tomorrow night is all about.  Please be there, our kids deserve this kind of support.  Thank you. 

300 POD MOULD AND ASBESTOS LEAKAGES

Did you receive the letter about the mould and asbestos leakages occurring in the crawlspace in the 300 pod?

Is your child in one of the classrooms there?

Why wasn't the work done this summer when they were doing the work for the same reasons on the east side of the pod and the workers told some parents that the whole pod was in the same condition?

Are they guaranteeing in writing that our kids will be 100% safe while the initial remediation work is being conducted?

How often are they conducting safety tests? 

If you haven't seen the report in full, please click here to go directly to the report from Pacific Environmental on our school's website.  There are several attached photos of the mould and asbestos all over the crawlspace directly underneath our children's classrooms. 

How safe do you feel our kids are in this pod?

PARENT QUESTION FORUM

OK, we have a date for our parent meeting to discuss the health of our school.
Please mark your calendars for Tuesday, October 19. 


The parent meeting will be held right after the PAC meeting is over.  The PAC meeting begins at 7:00pm and it is scheduled to be a very brief meeting so that our parent meeting can get underway.


We are expecting that representatives from WorksafeBC and Pacific Environmental will be there to answer all our questions. 


Mrs. Brine has asked in a letter she sent home today if parents could email questions to her. 


Questions can also be posted here and if you cannot make the meeting we will make sure all questions posted here are asked at the meeting. 


Can you make it?  What do you want to know? 


Please read Tamsin's note below regarding the evening's schedule.  So, 7:00 is the time to arrive! 



Tamsin, do we know where the meeting will take place?  Library or gym? 


To clarify - the information session will be the only item on the agenda for the Oct 19th meeting. Any other PAC business can be tabled until the November meeting so the questions surrounding the school environment can be addressed.
Thanks!
Tamsin

Parent Information Session

Please check your child's notices that came home today.  Janet Brine has sent home a letter and the parent meeting regarding the health of our school is scheduled for October 19th at 7:00pm.

My understanding is that the PAC meeting will occur first and be brief.  Then, the parent information meeting will commence. 

Mrs. Brine is asking for questions to be emailed to her in advance which I believe will be forwarded to the district in advance of the meeting however we have been trying to confirm today that all parents will be able to ask any questions in an open question forum at the meeting and although we do not have a definate answer on this we are hopeful. 

No Firm Date for Parent Meeting Yet...

There isn't a firm date yet for the parent meeting but it may follow a PAC meeting possibly next month which would mean a Tuesday evening. 

The date will be posted here as soon as we know. 

In the meantime, if the meeting takes place on a Tuesday evening following a PAC meeting and you can't make it please list your questions here and we'll make sure they are asked.  And then we can also post answers here too. 

Many questions are being circulated which is great, it's getting us thinking and I think this is going to be a very positive meeting where we can finally get answers where we don't have them now. 

Question away!  I don't think you even need to leave you name on the comment box if you don't want to, but the more questions, the more answers and the better we'll all feel about the health of our school.  Thanks everyone,
hope you all have a great weekend! 

Parent Meeting Coming Up!

Well, the PAC meeting last night went well I heard and the school is going to initiate a meeting for parents to sit down with the school board and reps from WorksafeBC and Pacific Environmental.  That's great news.

As soon as we hear about when the meeting is scheduled for we'll post that info here. 

There are lots of questions many parents would like to ask the folks from these companies. 

If you have a question you'd like an answer to, why not post it here.  The more questions we have, the more answers we'll get and the better we'll all feel. 

I received some emails from parents over the summer with questions that I had never thought about and I'm so glad someone else had. 

And as a side note, many parents have let me know how appreciative they are of this blog being set up.  And so I say "You're welcome".  This really was created because there were so many parents emailing for information, wanting to know who or where to go and in a world with this kind of technology I just thought why not create a sort of virtual coffee shop or comfy lounge where all parents can go to.  And the options for what this can blossom into are endless.  We, as families of Peace Arch Elementary are a community unto ourselves which I think is really great and special.  So, let's celebrate that, stick together and use this for all the wonderful possibilities it can offer.  My future thoughts are that we could eventually have a listing of any and all parents who own their own businesses and want to provide that information to the rest of us, community news briefs, meeting updates, you name it.  If you have a suggestion please share it with everyone here. 

Thanks again and enjoy, this is for everyone. 

Have Questions? Want Answers? Have something You want to Discuss?

Many parents are just starting to find out about the asbestos and mould issues at our school.  So, my apologies to those parents who might find some of these posts confusing because there may not be a lot of back story here to catch up with. 

There are also a lot of parents who have been keeping up with all these issues since springtime. 

So, please, please, please ask your questions in the comment box below and one of the parents that can answer will!  And if not, then it's an even better question that we can ask at the parent meeting to be held hopefully soon! 

Also, this site has been set up for all of us and if there is an issue or concern or question relating to our school, our kids etc. and you would like to share or discuss it with the parent population, then post it here too and we can start an post topic with what everyone and anyone wants to discuss.  That's what this is for after all!  :) 

Poll of Kids Who Have Been Sick

A few parents have asked about coming up with some sort of poll or something to find out how many kids have been getting sick during the last year or so.  Not your common cold or flu but the unexplained symptoms that a lot of kids have experienced while at school so here it is.

Of course this may or may not relate to the school but there is no harm in finding out if there is a common denominator going around because I know a lot of parents felt perplexed last year not being able to explain why their child was getting sick so much. 

My story in brief is this:  One of my children had unexplained rashes, naseau, vomiting, headaches off and on all year last year.  Only at school.  They would disappear during school breaks and there wasn't one symptom all summer long.  We have recently gone for allergy testing and will visit the doctor soon to talk about the results and I'll post them here. 

I received about 3 emails from different parents last year saying very similair things about their kids.  I'd just like to know what is causing my child to be sick like this.  Is it stress?  Is it environmental? Is it an allergy? 

Has your child had any unexplained symptoms or been sick and you can't explain why? 

Use the comment box below to share anything you'd like. 

One Parents Story of Asbestos Cancer

Printed with permission from the author

I am writing to thank you for what you are doing regarding this issue.  I am also very concerned about this and am willing to keep my child out of school in September if the situation is not rectified appropriately, and by that I mean 0 levels of this dangerous and life threatening particle in the air. 

I personally knew someone who died of mesothelioma.  She herself never worked around asbestos but her late husband did and she shook out and washed his clothes every day, THIRTY years before she got this horrible cancer.  She was a wonderful and vibrant actress in our community, not yet 60, and she was dead within six months of being diagnosed.  At the time, I researched this type of cancer and found that there is not a lot of research or treatment available because the victims of this cancer die so quickly that studying mesothelioma is not really possible.

Please let me know what I can specifically do to help in this battle.
Thanks again
Kelly McHale

What do we know about asbestos?

It would be interesting to know what we all think we know about
asbestos.

Here's some of the things I've found out in the last few months:

There is no safe level of airborne asbestos particles even though there is a legally allowable level of airborne asbestos.  Why is this? 

It has been written that even a single exposure to asbestos can be lethal and cause cancer.

When asbestos is properly sealed and not disturbed it is not dangerous. 

Do we know the source of all the asbestos leakages at our school?  This has been a question posed by parents and WorksafeBC since the springtime.  I have still not seen a definitive answer to this question anywhere.  Have I missed it?

In early September two parents sat down with the principal of our school to ask for a meeting.  The meeting was denied but another interesting fact arose.  The parents were told that the asbestos in the school would leak again.  Will it leak in your child's classroom?  How long will it go unnoticed?  If a child or teacher accidentally steps on or disturbs the asbestos dust on the floor it becomes airborne and unseen by the human eye.  Who will be negatively affected then?

In conversations with WorksafeBC over the summer we were told that WorksafeBC would accept a zero leakage level only, as should the parents and that the school needs to prove to us, the parents that they have ensured they have done everything possible to make sure there are no more asbestos leakages.

The weep holes along the bottom of the exterior walls of the school were put there during construction of the school to provide ventilation in the walls.  Now that the weep holes have been sealed (only some of them were actually, many unsealed walls were discovered by some parents who brought it up to the school and the inspector came and could not explain why they were left unsealed--they were supposed to be sealed shortly afterwards), does this present a double edged sword?  If sealing the weep holes prevents asbestos leaking, will it prevent proper ventilation and therefore if moisture becomes trapped in the walls what happens?  Mould?


How do we get the answers to these questions?

What are your questions?

Why Do Parents Want a Meeting?

Several parents have written letters to various levels of our school and district requesting a meeting with the parents and all those requests have been denied.

But why do we want a meeting?  In the sampling of emails posted here the reasons are clear.  We want a face to face meeting to address these issues with the right people.  We do not want to continue to have to write letters, leave phone messages etc.  We want to be able to ask questions to members of the company that did the investigation, from members of WorksafeBC. 

Both of these agencies have told me since early July that they support and have also requested of the school district that a meeting with parents be held.

But still the school denies us a meeting.  When I spoke with Mrs. Brine in early September I was told that a meeting wasn't believed to be necessary as there was enough information on the school website.  I was also told that members of the district did not want to come down to the school to have parents express their anger and frustration at them.  This completely misses the point if you ask me. 

Read the letters posted here, share yours if you like and add a comment below if you would like an information meeting to discuss the health of our school with parents, the school district, WorksafeBC, Pacific Environmental and any other organization or person that would be able to positively contribute to sharing their knowledge and information. 

All we want is a safe and healthy school for all our kids.  That's it.  Straightforward and simple.  And we need transparency from the school so we can trust and believe that they are acting in our children's best interests and so far we just haven't seen that.

Another string of emails requesting a meeting and information

Printed with permission from the author.  This is a longer string, you might want to start from the bottom and read up, it's worth the read and will help any parent that is newer to these issues. 

These emails are being copied here to help bring more awareness to all parents about what is going on, not going on that should be and hopefully bring about even more parents together in our quest for a healthy school for all our kids. 

Dear Mr. McKay,

I am an concerned parent at Peace Arch Elementary and am contacting you about a situation that I feel has been inadequately addressed by those in a position to do so and am hopeful that you will be able to assist. The issue as I’m sure you are aware concerns asbestos, mould and water damage to 4 of the pods on our school site. Whilst some extensive remedial work has been carried out there is also a sense that perhaps a ‘band-aid’ approach has taken place and some very valid concerns remain with regards to the potential for continued water ingress resulting in further exposure to mould and vermiculite. To date no one has explained why the district is failing to carry out a thorough inspection of all the crawlspaces to identify and remediate any water ingress and fungal contamination as per the recommendation from Pacific Environmental and Occupational Hygiene Services. (Report dated Sept, 14/2010 Ref 11186L01)

I would like to share with you below the recent correspondence between myself and Ms. Nancy Johnston who I understood to be responsible for answering questions and ensuring the health and safety of the schools in our district.  I have found the responses to be less than forthcoming. I don’t believe that I am asking questions that any concerned parent wouldn’t ask and I believe that the school district has a responsibility to respond. In Ms. Johnston’s initial email response she indicates that the district has hired a highly credentialed environmental consulting company and yet indicates that there isn’t an immediate plan to investigate the crawl spaces as per their recommendations. On the one hand we are being told to trust the experts and yet on the other we are being told we’re not going to follow through on the experts recommendations, that seems concerning to me.

Ms. Johnston indicates in her last email that it would be my responsibility to contact the PAC at our school and request a meeting and yet it has also come to my attention that in fact other parents had requested an information meeting be granted in a meeting held on Sept. 9^th  at Peace Arch school with Ms. Janet Brine in attendance and that request was refused. Would it not seem prudent that with an issue as alarming and concerning as asbestos and mould potentially having been exposed to our children that the school district would want to take any and all steps to ensure parents have an opportunity to ask questions and hear directly from the environmental agency who have been entrusted to carry out and monitor this work?

It would seem to me that parent’s deserve to be treated and informed in a manner different to what has been experienced. I do not believe that this issue will go away and I also believe that a fairly large parent group are willing to investigate any and all means to ensure that our concerns are adequately addressed.

I trust that I will soon be receiving forthright answers to my questions and look forward to your reply to this urgent and important matter ,

Sincerely,

Heather Dale

From: Bruce and Heather Dale [mailto:thedales@telus.net]
Sent: September-23-10 2:29 PM
To: 'Nancy Johnston'
Cc: 'ormond_j@sd36.bc.ca'; 'Ms. Brine '; 'Brad A. Helland'
Subject: RE: Recent fungal summary report

Nancy,

I would like to provide clarification that I do not find the back and forth of emails confusing, I find the answers to my questions confusing. I had understood from everything communicated at the parent level that if we had concerns or questions that they were to be directed to you. Now if I am not mistaken you are indicating that I need to speak with the PAC so that they may or may not recommend a meeting and from that I’m not sure but you seem to be indicating that Ms. Brine would answer these difficult questions?

I would appreciate answers to the following questions;

1.       Have all the recommendations in the consultant’s report been carried out?

2.       If so what is the status and who investigated the crawlspaces and where can I read that report?

3.       Were our kids ever in harm’s way of the mould and vermiculite found in certain locations throughout the school?

4.       Is there a potential that our kids will be subjected to these substances in the future? Has everything been done to prevent that?

5.       Has the water ingress issues both from above (ceiling) and below (crawl space) been fully investigated and remediated?

6.       Does the district plan to hold a meeting with the Environmental consultants present to answer parent questions and concerns?

I appreciate your time is valuable as is mine. I hope this has taken away any confusion and I look forward to receiving these answers.

Sincerely,

Heather Dale

From: Nancy Johnston [mailto:johnston_n@sd36.bc.ca]
Sent: September-23-10 1:38 PM
To: Bruce and Heather Dale
Cc: Janet Brine; Brad A. Helland
Subject: Re: Recent fungal summary report

Heather,

You're right -- this back and forth of e-mails is getting confusing, which is not my intention.  Why don't you see if the PAC recommends a parent meeting, which would be a good time to get everything explained to all interested parties. I believe they meet on Tuesday?   If that doesn't happen,  I'll touch bases with you in person, by phone, and see if I can't make myself clearer.

Regards,

Nancy

"Bruce and Heather Dale" <thedales@telus.net> writes:

Hi Nancy,

I greatly appreciate your timely reply and would like to share that I am left extremely confused as to why the school district is neglecting to follow through with the recommendation on Page 6 from Pacific Environmental Consulting and Occupational Hygiene Services report and I quote “ we recommend that the crawlspaces are investigated to ensure that any sources of water ingress and/or fungal contamination are identified and can be remediated accordingly.  As you stated in your initial email these professionals were hired by the district to ensure the health and safety of our school and yet you seem to be indicating to me that the district has no plans to follow through on all of their recommendations. I would request that the district reconsider this decision and request that this same group of professionals be charged with this task and complete a follow up report to indicate that this has been done and any work or concerns connected with this part of the school are being suitably addressed. Both the consultants reports regarding the prevention of further vermiculite and mould outbreaks indicate the paramount importance of addressing the water ingress issues. I find it confusing that your email states the crawl spaces are not wet due to drainage or pipe leaks and yet John Ormond’s letter ( Aug. 31.2010) states that ‘workers have been replacing drainage tiles along the outside of the school and the flooring in classrooms 304 and 306 has been replaced as well..... this work was performed after evidence of water seepage was discovered in the area of the crawl space under the two classrooms earlier this year”.

I would hazard a guess that 100% of parents would appreciate their hard earned tax dollars being used to follow all the recommendations in these reports that directly affect the health and safety of our children.  Further to that,  I have strong indications from a large parent group that if the school district is unwilling to follow through on the recommendations in this report then all means available  will be considered to ensure the future and contiued well being of our children. It seems to me that the district has more to do in order to claim that they have thoroughly investigated and remediated all potential sources of water ingress at our school and with this being such an obvious contributing factor with regards to the more serious mould and vermiculite concerns that the district cannot ignore these recommendations. It would seem to be that to do so would be to potentially put our children at unnecessary risk for further exposure to harmful mould and asbestos in their learning environment.  

I appreciate your time and commitment to ensuring that the parents at Peace Arch are satisfied that the district is meeting its  mandate to ensure the health and safety of the students and teachers at our school.

Sincerely,

Heather Dale  

From: Nancy Johnston [mailto:johnston_n@sd36.bc.ca]

Sent: September-23-10 11:03 AM

To: Bruce and Heather Dale

Cc: Janet Brine; Brad A. Helland

Subject: Re: Recent fungal summary report

Hello again Heather,

Please let me at first assure you that nobody has suggested to me that we call a halt to further investigations at Peace Arch due to financial considerations.  We do have to be prudent in the use of our resources of course, as they come from hard-working taxpayers like yourself and your husband.  

We don't have an immediate plan to inspect all the crawlspaces. At this moment in history they are not wet due to drainage or pipe leaks, and mould needs water to thrive.  And the crawlspaces are vented to the outside and are not pressurized in relation to the classroom spaces above.   Our final round of air sampling does not indicate that mold spores are at levels of health concern  in classroom spaces.  However, buildings do not remain static, and should we have evidence of a change in these conditions at Peace Arch - a pipe burst, a roof leak, or a new moldy smell, we will rely on your principal Janet Brine to let us know so that we can investigate and remediate as necessary.

Hope this clarification is useful to you.  I have left your comments about a meeting, communications, etc. for Janet and Brad to take into consideration.

Regards,

Nancy

"Bruce and Heather Dale" <thedales@telus.net> writes:

Hi Nancy,

Thank you for your prompt reply and for your explanation regarding the School Districts’ responsibilities and the highly regarded credentials of the environmental agency , Pacific Environmental, that carried out the safety inspection at our school.  I have no doubt that this company and their employees perform their job to the highest standards. I also appreciate that this work has been reviewed by WorkSafe BC. My husband works side by side with both these types of professionals/agencies in this line of work and has some experience with mould and asbestos in buildings, and after he read the reports he suggested we consider requesting either a second opinion and or clarification to the omissions in the reporting.

My concerns do relate to specific portions of the report and that centers mostly around the area of omissions.  I note that in the report it is very clear that Pacific Environmental did not investigate the crawl spaces at the school, that they recommended doing so in the likelihood that water ingress is likely a consideration. My limited understanding is that the water problem encourages the ant and mould problems and that in order to ‘prevent’ further vermiculite disturbances I would wonder if  this source of water ingress would be considered a priority and requiring immediate attention. I believe that the report is only valid and accurate, as with any situation, based on material tested and/or observed.  It concerns me that the crawl spaces haven’t yet been an area of further investigation as potential sources of water damage/mould/ant infestation etc. It concerns me that perhaps the work done to date has only been to address obvious areas of either water damage and mould and that a thorough investigation , including and i would think with great importance assigned to ascertaining the state and safety of the crawlspaces underneath each pod has for some reason not been done. Perhaps you could enlighten me as to why this hasn’t been done and  who will carry out this recommendation and under what timeframe.

I have read all the reports on the school website, including the letter to parents from Mr. John Ormond and I can only think that with an issue of this much significance to the health and safety of children and teachers that an information meeting with parents would only be beneficial. Due to the demographics of our school I would think that a good percentage of homes may not have computer access or parents with computer skills. I think that as with any issue there is a large majority of ‘silent’ parents who are very worried and concerned, I know this to be the case at Peace Arch and I consider myself one. I think in any situation giving information in an accessible,  forthright, open  and candid manner is always beneficial. I can see that the school/district has provided some information in this manner and I believe there is some sense at the parent level that this information/reports has been hard to source and that perhaps there is a feeling of information being  hard to find. I believe that a meeting with parents and school board officials and most importantly with the environmental representative present may help to decrease parents uneasy feelings and encourage a better understanding.  It would also allow for questions to be asked and responded to, which in my experience is useful to increasing understanding and sharing information.

I appreciate your comments regarding being a parent and being concerned and I would hope that the district would not be in a position, or put dedicated employees such as yourself in a position,  to put financial concerns/constraints ahead of a through and proper resolution to the mould, water, and asbestos issues that a deteriorating building such as Peace Arch School seems to be suffering from.

I have had three daughters who have enjoyed a combination of 21 years at this wonderful community school and it saddens me to think that their health may have been potentially affected by the poor and aging conditions of this building. You are right, as parents we will do what is necessary to ensure that is not the case and ensure the best outcome for our children.

I appreciate your time and look forward to you reply,

Sincerely,

Heather Dale

From: Nancy Johnston [mailto:johnston_n@sd36.bc.ca]

Sent: September-22-10 1:59 PM

To: thedales@telus.net

Cc: Janet Brine

Subject: Recent fungal summary report

Dear Heather,

Thank you for your e-mail.  The District does not permit contractors or consultants on our property unless they are being paid by the district.  The school is the property of the District and as such we are entrusted with the responsibility to ensure that it is safe for students and staff.  All of us at the School District take this responsibility very seriously.The consultant we used for the work at Peace Arch, Pacific Environmental, has been in business in BC since 1990.  Their personnel include Professional Engineers, Certified Industrial Hygienists, Registered Professional Biologists (RPBio), Canadian Registered Safety Professionals (CRSP), and Applied Science Technologists.  We use them precisely because they are so highly qualified, which gives us the assurance that we are protecting the children and employees in our care.   These professionals also have to subscribe to a code of ethics, or risk their certifications being lifted.  For example, the certified industrial hygienists are to "deliver competent services with objective and independent professional judgment in decision-making".  The work at Peace Arch has also been reviewed by WorkSafeBC, which gives us an extra level of reassurance in the process.    

I know that Janet Brine will be consulting with the Peace Arch Parent Advisory Commiittee to determine whether a parent meeting about these issues is warranted.  If you would like to meet with our consultants in this sort of forum, please let Janet or a PAC representative know.  Or if you have specific questions about a particular aspect of one of the reports, I would be pleased to answer them for you myself.

I hope this helps to ease your mind.  I'm a mom too, so I know what it feels like to want the best for your children.

Kind regards,

Nancy

Nancy Johnston, ROHT

Health and Safety Officer

School District No. 36 (Surrey)

14225-56 Avenue, Surrey BC V3X 3A3

tel 604-599-7484

fax 604-596-3192

Regards,

Nancy

Nancy Johnston, ROHT

Health and Safety Officer

School District No. 36 (Surrey)

14225-56 Avenue, Surrey BC V3X 3A3

tel 604-599-7484

fax 604-596-3192

Regards,

Nancy

Nancy Johnston, ROHT

Health and Safety Officer

School District No. 36 (Surrey)

14225-56 Avenue, Surrey BC V3X 3A3

tel 604-599-7484

fax 604-596-3192

More requests for a parent meeting

Published with author's permission-- a letter written to Mrs. Brine with a small string attached below.

Thanks Janet, I really appreciate your reply and your due thoughtfulness and consideration concerning a meeting. The request for a meeting would include that a school board representative and someone from Pacific Environmental  be present  as I believe the types of questions are within their scope of expertise to answer. I don’t believe that it is anyone’s best interests at this point in time to not have these professionals present.

The questions that I had to date are: ( and I know that other parents have other questions of a more technical nature regarding the remediation work)

1.     Have all the recommendations in the consultant’s report been carried out?

2.       If so what is the status and who investigated the crawlspaces and where can I read that report?

3.       Were our kids ever in harm’s way of the mould and vermiculite found in certain locations throughout the school?

4.       Is there a potential that our kids will be subjected to these substances in the future? Has everything been done to prevent that?

5.       Has the water ingress issues both from above (ceiling) and below (crawl space) been fully investigated and remediated?

6.       Does the district plan to hold a meeting with the Environmental consultants present to answer parent questions and concerns?

I don’t think that taking more time to address this issue will be well received within the parent community. I think if the issue was addressed at a different level other than PAC Executive that you would have an overwhelming and immediate response. Perhaps a simple question sent home to all students “ would you like the school to hold a meeting including representatives from the board and the Environmental agency to address the remediation work and answer any questions” . Yes or No might give you a better representation of what the larger parent community desires. I personally have not had contact with anyone from PAC Executive and yet am aware of 30+ parents who are willing to pay to secure a second opinion if necessary. After 11 years at this school it has always been my understanding that each and every parent at the school is considered a PAC member and so I would hope that those views and opinions would be as highly regarded as the PAC executive.

I hope this provides you with some additional context to aid you in your decision making process as to the appropriateness and need for a meeting. I would hope that after Tuesday the decision would be made and by the end of the week that the time, date, and attendees confirmed. I do not think that is an unreasonable time frame, given the seriousness of the concerns to our children’s’ health and safety.

Thank you again for your timely response to this matter.

Sincerely,

Heather Dale

From: Janet Brine

Sent: September-24-10 11:29 AM
To: Bruce and Heather Dale
Cc: John D. Ormond; Nancy Johnston; Doug F. Strachan
Subject: Re: FW: Recent Fungal Summary Report

Thank-you Heather, for the e-mail loop.  

re: a meeting, ... once I discuss the possibility of a meeting with the full PAC on Tuesday I will make a decision.  I have heard from only a handful of people requesting a meeting so I need to get a sense of the larger community.  I suspect that there will be a recommendation to move forward with this but I think it fair to follow a process that includes more people.  I will be in touch with you late next week.

Sincerely,

Janet Brine

"Bruce and Heather Dale" writes:

Dear Ms. Brine,

I am including a recent round of dialogue that I have initiated between Ms. Nancy Johnston and myself. For some reason on the cc’s to you it was returning to my inbox as undeliverable. I hope that has nowbeen corrected.

Sincerely,

Heather Dale

From: Bruce and Heather Dale [

Sent: September-21-10 5:01 PM

To: mailto:%27johnston_n@sd36.bc.ca'

Subject: Recent Fungal Summary Report

Hello,

I have been following the updates on the situation at Peace Arch regarding the ants, asbestos, mould and water damage. I am curious if parents wanted an independent report/confirmation (i.e  from an independent environmental agency)  that all areas of the school are indeed safe and that there are no other ongoing concerns that would adversely affect our children what would be the procedure to allow that to happen?

With thanks,

Heather Dale

Heather Dale -

'be the change you wish to see'  - Mohatma Ghandi

Janet Brine

Principal - Directrice

École Peace Arch Elementary

S'ENGAGER C'EST APPRENDRE

Another letter requesting a parent meeting

Published with author's permission

Dear Ms. Brine,

I am a faithful, committed Peace Arch parent who has been at the school for 7 years.  My eldest daughter is in Grade 6, my other daughter is in Grade 3 and my little guy will be in Kindergarten next year.  During our seven years at Peace Arch, we have been so happy with the committed staff, the enriched French Immersion curriculum, the caring environment, and to be perfectly honest, everything that Peace Arch stands for.   Having said that, I have lost so much sleep over the issues that Peace Arch is currently dealing with and I still feel very uneasy with the state of our aging school.   It is so  sad that Peace Arch has everything going for it, yet because of an old building, things are starting to deteriorate and it scares me and saddens me to know that my childrens’ health may have been and will continue to be compromised due to the mould, asbestos and water leaks.  I know a great deal has been done to try and rectify things and information has been provided in hopes of reassuring parents, and I appreciate everything that’s been done to date, however,  there are still so many unanswered questions and so many worried parents, me being one of them. 

I have been very diligent with reading the reports on the school website, I have addressed my concerns with both Nancy Johnston, Doug Strachan as well as Mr. John Ormond, however,  I  still have legitimate concerns.  I am not the type of parent who over-reacts, but there is no denying that Peace Arch is dealing with significant issues that can and will impact the health and safety of every child and teacher in that school, both at the present time as well as later down the road.  As  parents, we need to feel that everyone is taking a proactive stand with making the school safe and is taking every preventative measure possible to ensure that each child and teacher is out of harm’s way and can teach and learn in an environment that is safe, and void of potential health issues.

I believe it is essential that a meeting be held with parents as well as school board officials and of course, a WorkSafe representative who will hopefully, be able to shed more light on the situation and help ease the anxiety that so many parents are feeling.  An honest and open dialogue will be far more beneficial than reading political letters and difficult to decipher reports and will help to rebuild trust between the parents and the School District.  Ms. Brine, please consider my request for a meeting as I know there are still a lot of concerned parents (myself included). 

Thank-you in advance for your time and I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Bree Van Nes