A school that had asbestos discovered in its new playground has copped another cruel blow after students were told they can’t return for weeks.
Around 700 students from Liverpool West Public School in Sydney’s south-west will be relocated to the nearby Gulyangarri Public School from next week.
It’s expected the students will temporarily remain there for at least a month.
The students were meant to return to school on Tuesday but the contamination in the new playground was more prevalent than first thought.
The NSW Environment Protection Authority said the school was first flagged as a potential hazardous site last Friday.
Liverpool West Public School has been shut down after asbestos was discovered in the playground
The EPA discovered the mulch used on the school’s grounds had been sourced from the same company that supplied Rozelle Parklands, which made recently headlines after a young child took asbestos home from its mulch.
Liverpool West students will spend this week learning from home.
‘We ask for your patience as we organise alternative arrangements for the teaching of your children at nearby Gulyangarri Public School for the next few weeks,’ education minister Prue Car said.
‘The safety of your children is our highest priority, as is their learning. The Department will be speaking to families today about the next steps.’
Ms Car assured that Gulyangarri Public has the capacity to hold the extra students and that classes will not be merged.
‘The NSW government understands how frustrating this must be for parents and teachers at the school and I assure you the decision to temporarily close the school site was not taken lightly,’ she said.
‘We are acting with an abundance of caution and doing so quickly to ensure the safety of the school community.’
The asbestos removal and clean-up will take at least a month
The education minister added that Liverpool West was the only school in NSW with the potentially dangerous mulch.
Asbestos has now been found at a whopping 22 sites across Sydney, including parks, schools, train stations and building sites.
NSW Premier Chris Minns described the situation was ‘completely unacceptable’.
The supplier of the affected mulch has been banned by the EPA from selling the garden material, and an investigation is ongoing to find the source of the asbestos.
However, the supplier – Greenlife Resource Recovery Facility (GRRF) – is adamant the mulch does not contain the deadly substance when it leaves their sites and have tests to back up their claim.
Workers were seen removing asbestos from Liverpool West Public School on Wednesday
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