TOSH student switching schools to avoid construction work

At least one Three Oaks family has had enough with the ongoing renovations at the Summerside high school. Samantha MacPherson said her daughter, Nicole, will be transferring to Charlottetown Rural for her Grade 11 year, moving in with MacPherson’s brother. They chose Charlottetown Rural because it offers a music program comparable to Summerside’s. “She’s better being away,” said MacPherson who blames air quality issues at the school for her daughter’s health issues throughout Grade 10. She said breathing issues cleared up somewhat during the Christmas and March breaks from school and Nicole is already “50 per cent better” since classes finished up for the summer at TOSH on June 1. The provincial government released air quality test results Tuesday, and while provincial officials claim the results have stayed within acceptable levels, MacPherson said they provide her with no peace of mind. “They’ve been exposed.” Parker Grimmer, director of the P.E.I. Public Schools Branch, said the decision to post the test results comes from a request by an ad hoc committee formed in response to concerns around the construction. “I believe those test results are demonstrating that there’s been no breaches.” Grimmer did acknowledge issues remain. “Some students experience sensitivities to dust and allergens differently and we need to be able to try to work with them, and I think we have been trying to work with our parents on this,” he said. Grimmer said P.E.I. has been proactive in getting ceiling tiles containing asbestos out of all of its school buildings, with Three Oaks being the final one. “We’re continuing to run a strict regiment around air quality testing, especially in any moments when there’s any abatement happening.”

He said abatement work will ramp up once school staff are out of the building. “When (students and staff) return in September, it is my understanding there won’t be any asbestos … remaining.” MacPherson said results show dust from the construction areas is permeating student-occupied areas. She questions why that would happen when negative pressure is employed inside the sealed-off construction areas. She said her daughter would be relatively fine on Mondays but her breathing issues would progressively worsen throughout the week. She missed two school days in the first semester and was absent 11 or 12 days in the second semester. There have also been noise issues. MacPherson referred to a resent video taken inside the school in which she says the noise from the construction area is audible and a computer screen is vibrating. She said her daughter “had such a poor Grade 10 year. She’s very discouraged.” She said there are still unanswered questions about what’s in the dust at the school and requests for mould testing have been refused. Toby MacDonald, who filed a freedom of information request to get the air quality test results released, said there are approximately 50 students at the school experiencing health problems which they believe to be associated with the construction work.

“One kid being sick is too many, in my opinion,” MacPherson reflected.