Experts: Bancroft school safe

Jennifer Brookens — Staff Writer
SWEA CITY — The elementary students at North Kossuth will finish out the year at the Bancroft school building after all.

A third air-quality test completed Monday morning showed again there are no measurable asbestos fibers in the air on the second floor of the building. Last week, the district pulled its students from the facility after an initial test showed high levels of fibers in the air.

North Kossuth Superin-tendent Mike Landstrum explained that the initial test targeted all fibers in the air, not just asbestos.

“It sounds terrible,” Landstrum said of the first air-quality results. “There’s no way I was going to put students at risk, even for one more day.”

Which was why, once the results came in at 4 p.m. last Monday, Landstrum contacted broadcast media to get the word out about school being called off for the elementary students. The next day, a second air test aimed specifically at asbestos fibers was conducted.

“I admit I was thrown there for the first 48 hours,” Landstrum said. “When the second test came back as having no measurable asbestos fibers in the air, I was shocked.”

During a meeting Monday evening in Swea City, several asbestos experts were on hand to answer the public’s questions.

“The (initial) test is not as sensitive to asbestos; it picks up other fibers like dust, lint, and hair,” explained Tom Wuehr of the Iowa DNR and Environmental Health Services manager. “But these (more recent) tests give me lots of assurance; they are very valid.”

Kossuth County Environmental Health director Jack Bradley also pointed out that the district went above and beyond what is required protocol for asbestos, by having the building cleaned and a third air test after the second one gave the school the all-clear.

“These tests cost a lot of money, but we don’t sacrifice when the children’s health is at risk,” Landstrum said. “There was no way we could just put these kids back in the classrooms after this hysteria ... The last thing I’d ever do is put any of your children or any of you at risk.”

Bradley also pointed out that asbestos-related illnesses only have broken out in those exposed to a high amount for extended periods of time, such as those who mined asbestos.

“The chance of your children getting cancer from asbestos is so minimal,” he said. “Your children are much more likely to develop lung cancer from secondhand smoke.”

While some parents were calmed by the experts’ opinions, others were still angry.

“Why weren’t these tests done in January? Why were they done after the vote (to move the elementary to Swea City)?” one woman asked.

“Since all this happened, it’s like you’re trying to sweep it under the rug,” another mother said. “The ceilings are falling down, and now you’re like, ‘Oh, well,’ You’re not going to do that with my kids!”

Others mentioned the vote last month to move the children to Swea City next school year.

“I have no intention of bringing the vote back up,” Landstrum said.

With only three weeks of school left, Landstrum said those students who did not return would not be penalized or held back.

But at the end of the meeting it sounded like several parents were convinced. One mother asked Landstrum if he would be back in the building Tuesday, and also asked the panel if they would let their children go to school in the building. Everyone said yes.

“Then my kids will be at school tomorrow,” she said to a round of applause.

“As a staff member, I’ve been scared too and my grandchildren go to school there,” said one teacher. But I’m thankful to have the experts here, and I feel safe now. I want to get back to school because this is a fun time of year for the kids, it’d be a shame to have them miss out.”