Black debris at school draws concern
TDSB says substance was tested, found to be ‘non-asbestos containing’
Black debris is falling from the ventilation system of a downtown Toronto public school, according to a parent who shared photos of the mysterious substance with the Star.
Kedrin Case, whose daughter is in Grade 6 at Huron Street Public School, in the Annex near Spadina Rd. and Bloor St. W., says she first noticed the gunk last week while holding auditions for a parent-run talent show.
“I noticed black debris everywhere,” she told the Star.
“It was actually underneath a vent, a high vent on the ceiling.”
At first, Case said she thought it was mouse droppings. She said she asked a teacher what was going on, “And they said, ‘Yeah, this is the problem we’ve been having. It’s been months and months of this — if not years.’ ”
The school, which the board said serves around 400 students from kindergarten to Grade 6, is also the site of a daycare program — though its director, Gertie Dorval, said she hadn’t seen the same issues.
Concerns about debris coming from the supply fan unit in the Grade 2 classroom were raised last June, Toronto District School Board spokesperson Shari Schwartz-Maltz said. The debris was tested and the unit was cleaned during the summer, she said.
“All materials in the unit were tested and found to be nonasbestos containing,” Schwartz-Maltz said in a statement to the Star.
A third-party environmental consultant conducted tests on the material and determined particulate matter results were within the acceptable limits of the ministry and World Health Organization, she said.
The Ministry of Labour investigated after receiving a complaint in November, which did not result in any orders for the TDSB, Schwartz-Maltz said.
Facilities staff have started working to remove grills and clean the surrounding space, she said, adding they have also power-washed the coils in the fan units.
“Also, floor tiles were assessed and it was determined that repair work may be best scheduled during the summer break,” she said.
The TDSB Board, as of April this year, has a repair backlog of more than $4 billion.
That amount has risen by $200 million over the previous year. The average age of Toronto district schools is 62 years, almost twice the provincial average.
Across Ontario, schools with leaking roofs, crumbling walls and broken furnaces have been labelled a threat to local heritage, on top of their impact on students and teachers.
After noticing the black debris, Case saw peeling flooring and marks in other Huron Street. classrooms and became increasingly worried about the environment where young students were learning.
“These kids are on the floor, they’re putting their fingers in their mouth, they’re breathing this stuff,” Case said.
“I pressed further, and there have been work orders placed by the principal, the teachers … they’re stymied. They feel frustrated.” She said they’ve done “above and beyond” what they’re able to do about the mysterious substance.
In a photograph provided to the Star, dark stains can be seen spreading outwards from a vent at the top of a classroom wall.
Another photo shows the lid of a large bin spotted with black debris. Another shows what appears to be the same tarry debris on blue and green foam tiles.
She contacted and trustee Ausma Malik and superintendent Mike Gallagher in a May 5 email sent on behalf of herself and another parent and shared with the Star. That email included the photographs she said were taken inside Huron Street. “This is an obvious health hazard. I am requesting an immediate review of these items as well as an immediate plan of action. It is a travesty that these teachers have been ignored and moreover discouraged from talking about it. I am flabbergasted,” Case wrote.
Gallagher responded on May 7, writing that he’d contacted principal Cheryl Howe for more information and followed up with both the board’s health and safety office and the facilities team leader for Huron.
“I will let you know as soon as I have more information,” he wrote.