December 29th, 2004

Students at Ledyard Middle School recently had to take time off from their studies following an asbestos scare. The students were let out of school early and told not to come in the following day after it was discovered that some of the ceiling tiles might contain asbestos. Asbestos is a mineral that was once widely used in building for insulation, piping, floor and ceiling tiles, and a number of other purposes.

Concerns raised over the ceiling tiles at the school resulted in officials calling for a three day weekend for the students whilst investigations were carried out. This followed the installation of light sensors, which may have disturbed the ceiling tiles and contaminated the air due to the asbestos content in the tiles.

Michael Graner, Superintendent of Schools, stated: "We know we have some tiles that have asbestos in it, and some that do not. We didn't have any indication that there was asbestos contamination but we wanted to air on the side of caution." He also added that the results so far indicated that there was no danger, but that thorough testing would be carried out to ensure the safety of both students and staff at the school.

Both the students and the staff were evacuated after the concerns were raised last week. One person commented: “It wasn't good for us to be around it, so we went outside. And some events were moved. The girls Basketball game was held at a different school and the School chorus concert was at the high school. There will be a thorough cleaning of the school this weekend.”