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Could I get in trouble for this?

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USSEnterprise:

So for the past school year, my HS has had a problem with asbestos. They have been cleaning it up with students still in the school, still using the same hallway as where it is being cleaned up. The school district won't release the asbestos abatement reports to the public for some reason, and the school currently has 25 asbestos related citations from the EPA. I contacted the local newspaper and told them about all this BS. They are investigating, and might do a story on it. Am I protected by freedom of speech, or could I potentially get in trouble (within my school) for contacting the press?

pointdablame:

Officially, you shouldn't be able to get in trouble.  It's also a very sleazy move by your school in the first place since they know the asbestos is there.


It doesn't mean you won't be singled out unofficially though.. and unfortunately, that's probably fairly likely to happen if they (the school) didn't want the information to go out.

theskuh:

Hopefully your school won't do any thing like come after you.  Document (write down) anything you think is fishy, when it happened etc and see a laywer.

Is it public or private?

I am a teacher in a public high school and if there was anything that put kids in harm in my school it would be on the local news in a heartbeat. In fact the local news likes to make up stuff they would be salivating over that story.

I am not sure how much people pay in taxes for schools but where  I teach school taxes are high and people get real upset to see their tax money being misused. By mishandling a cleanup and injuring their sons or daughters that is a misuse of money and a bad screwup on somebodies part.

The elementary school where I live is shut down now because of a mold problem. They had to close the entire building and start late a month.  The community I live in is not as vocal as the one I teach in though. If that happened in the district I am employed in heads would roll and people would be removed from their jobs.

But if you are in a district where the community is apathetic then it might not make a ripple. If it is a private school just have the parents threaten to pull their kids out if it doesn't get fixed.

Schools are a commodity people are paying for them they should be run right. But sometimes the community isn't able to supply the money necessary to run a school properly and you end up, for example with a elementary school filled with mold becasue the town wasn't prepared to pay to fix the job right the first time.

If you know something is not right you have every right to make your voice heard. 



TOK:

Pretty messed up if they're doing that. A guy that worked with my father died of asbestoses. They did demolition and construction together for years. My dad just happened not to work on the job where all the old asbestos was ripped out. It takes a long time to get you too, like 20 years.

The real ---smurfette--- of the situation in your case is that the asbestos is basically harmless if left undisturbed. When you start removing or breaking it up is when the dangerous airborne particles are released. This sounds like something your school should be doing over the summer, not when classes are going.
 

USSEnterprise:

75% of the school was built in '63, therefore, there probably is a good deal of solid asbestos in the floor tile, on the pipes, etc. But when they find it, they apparently have to remove it. They are just ignoring the floor tile for now. But yes, they did start the job in the summer, still haven't finished though.

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