School issues asbestos warning after ceiling panel falls during class
A North Brisbane school issued a warning to parents and closed a classroom after part of an asbestos-containing ceiling tile fell off during class on Thursday.
The Department of Education said a piece of ceiling was dislodged from a workshop classroom at Albany Creek State High School, where a student claimed the piece broke when one of his peers pulled a power cord attached to the ceiling.
“Access to the area where the incident occurred was immediately restricted and QBuild was deployed to rectify the situation and provide permission for reoccupation,” a department spokesperson said.
There were three students in the room at that time. The items in the room, including those belonging to the students, were quarantined for testing purposes.
It was known that some buildings of the school, which was built in 1981, contained asbestos.
One member of the school community said: Brisbane Times He was surprised by the reactions of families following a letter from Principal Derek Weeks on Thursday detailing the incident.
“If you’ve ever worked or volunteered at a school, you know how seriously they take asbestos,” he said.
On Friday, the Department for Education confirmed that the piece of tile “contained asbestos”.
“The school is working closely with affected students and families to address any concerns, including personal items that may have been affected,” the department said.
Albany Creek State High School currently has 1550 students enrolled and is located in the northern outer suburbs of Brisbane, approximately 20 kilometers from the city centre.
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