A Brisbane school has cordoned off a section of its campus after suspected asbestos was discovered during excavation works for new school infrastructure.
Cleveland District State High School principal Leonard McKeown wrote to parents last week, informing them of the situation.
“Some debris, which is assumed asbestos, has been unearthed on the construction site at the school,” he said.
“The construction site has been, and will remain, restricted to student and public access by construction fencing.
“I take the issue of student and staff safety very seriously. I believe the partnership we share as a school community means that it is important to keep everyone informed in order to minimise concern.”
The school said the debris, believed to be about the size of a 20c piece and buried under about a metre of dirt, would be removed safely and testing would be undertaken.
The construction area will remain off-limits until the clearance is provided, following work by designated asbestos management consultants.
Queensland Education said the asbestos has been dealt with immediately and appropriately, according to a spokeswoman.
“It’s not uncommon for asbestos to be found in Queensland schools built before the 1990s,” she said.
“The material was disposed of in line with asbestos protocols, the incident reported to relevant regional authorities and the school community was informed on that day.
“The construction site has been fenced off and restricted for student and public access since works started in Term 2, and access will remain restricted until the project’s completion, which is scheduled for Term 2, 2023.”
The Queensland Department of Education has previously come under fire for its management of asbestos on school campuses’ with more than $6.5 million spent on asbestos management in the last financial year.
Audits of the public schools cost the taxpayer close to $900,000 in the same period.