[KHTS] – Dozens of Einstein Academy parents showed up to a Wednesday night meeting held by school officials to allay concerns after asbestos contamination prompted officials to remove the carcinogen from nine classrooms.

The school’s efforts began Dec. 9 after officials received an Occupational Safety and Health Administration alert from an employee concerned about possible asbestos exposure.

Asbestos, which is commonly found in buildings constructed before the 1980s, is not really harmful if it remains undisturbed, according to an expert at the meeting.

However, storms in late November and December damaged the ceiling tiles that were keeping the potentially harmful material at bay.

While notices were sent home Dec. 11 to parents of second- and third-graders who spent most of their time in those classrooms, in addition to phone calls, several parents were upset schoolwide notifications were not sent out immediately.

By the time Einstein Academy officials received written reports confirming the suspected contamination on Dec. 16, they immediately took action, which included sealing the affected rooms.

School officials presented a detailed timeline about their discovery in December of leaking roof tiles, and their subsequent abatement plan, and then allowed parents to ask questions at the meeting.

At least a dozen parents were more concerned about the timeliness of the school’s notifications to parents, prompting officials to apologize. They also promised to make the experience a learning lesson for the young school.

“There was never an attempt on my part or Mr. Cusack’s part… or anybody in the organization, to not be transparent,” said Sean Ramsey, lead administrator for the Albert Einstein Academy for the Letters, Arts and Sciences elementary school. “If anybody feels as if we were trying to cover up, hide something, or not disclose something to you, then I apologize, because that was not even remotely our intent.”

School officials invited two pediatric doctors to the meeting, with both having children in the affected classrooms where the asbestos was found. Both Drs. Richard Kim and Mike Schoenwetter answered parents’ questions and said they had very little concern about their children’s health with respect to the asbestos exposure.

School officials first closed classrooms 3 and 4 after a preliminary inspection prompted further testing, and temporary roof repairs were completed by Dec. 12. Classroom No. 10 was also considered to be affected by the rain damage, and the additional rooms reported minor levels of contamination and were being renovated as a precaution.

Both doctors spoke to parents about how, while asbestos can be a dangerous carcinogen, much like cigarette smoking, the real cancer risk usually comes from repeated exposure over a long period of time.

Eddie Nathan, director of School Services at Albert Einstein Academy for Letters, Arts and Sciences cautioned parents that while asbestos is harmful, school administrators acted as quickly as possible and followed the law.

Addressing parents’ concern about notification, he said officials were weighing the need for parents to know versus a potential panic created by alarming people with notices of “asbestos” before the test results were official.

Parents also criticized Einstein Academy for not realizing there was asbestos in the acoustics above the ceiling panel in the first place, and not already having a plan in place.

Einstein officials responded by saying they were now developing an abatement program and a system to train teachers and staff for any future concern that might arise. Einstein officials said they were unaware of the asbestos before the damage occurred.

A licensed contractor certified in mold inspection and other industrial hazards spoke to the school’s handling of the contaminated rooms and also assured parents the proper steps were being taken.

The certified abatement expert, Judd Leach of Allstate Environmental Services, said there did not appear to be any cause to test for mold, despite the water damage.

The issue for some parents revolved around the school’s initial notifications, which went to students who were regularly scheduled to be in the affected classrooms. Some of the parents children were in the affected classrooms for parts of the day felt they should have been notified initially.

The cleanup delayed students’ return to school until Monday, but school officials said while the school’s instructional hours are well in excess of the state minimum, but they will probably make up the hours missing hours during pupil-free days.

A few parents of children who attended the Pinecrest Schools site also expressed concern, but Einstein officials said they would have no way of knowing if the school had the issue in the past.

A call to Pinecrest Schools corporate office was not immediately returned.