Ministry lays down law on school tracks

China’s education authorities vowed to introduce new regulations on the construction of running tracks in schools after some 90 tracks were demolished due to hazardous emissions.

The Ministry of Education on Friday posted a note on its official website, saying that currently 93 of the total of 68,792 synthetic racetracks across the country have been demolished, and construction of 2,191 has been stopped.

According to the note, the ministry has been working together with the Standardization Administration of China to establish new rules. It also required local education and standardization departments to set their own compulsory standards until the national regulations are released.

Meanwhile, a special group has been formed to investigate and manage the poisonous tracks in some regions and schools.

The Beijing News reported on Friday that the racetrack in Beijing No.2 Experimental School in Xicheng district has been replaced by bricks, but some parents still refused to send their children back to school, as they claimed a test they conducted in August showed that benzene levels are still excessive.

Dozens of students at the Baiyunlu campus of Beijing No.2 Experimental School suffered from nosebleeds, dizzy spells and coughs after running on the track in May. Tests on the track showed excessive amounts of benzene and formaldehyde, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

“The toxic tracks, as well as other untested products for children, show that we still need stricter legislation in this area,” Wan Daqiang, a Beijing-based lawyer specializing in child protection, told the Global Times on Friday.

“Enforcement, monitoring and quality testing related to school facilities should be strengthened,” Wang noted, adding that winning the trust of parents back depends on the determination of the education department in solving this problem.