Teaticket Elementary Opening Delayed Following Asbestos Discovery

PHOTO COURTESY: Falmouth Public Schools

FALMOUTH – The Falmouth Public School District says the Teaticket Elementary School will not be open in time for the start of the academic year due to asbestos found in the building this summer.

School officials consulted with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection after discovering  that HVAC upgrade work disturbed hazardous materials, according to a statement from Superintendent Nancy Taylor.

“The administration is working closely with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of LAbor Standards as well as other local and state agencies. The current timetable for the completion of this work is anticipated to be approximately two months,” Taylor wrote in a letter to the community.

The school has established a cleaning and abatement plan, and officials are working to find an appropriate relocation spot for students.

Taylor said all the clean up plans are being developed with the intention of minimizing disruptions to students and families.

A community information session on the work and its effects will take place Thursday at 5:30 at the Falmouth High School Auditorium.

Taylor said the health and safety of students and staff will remain the district’s top priority. She posted the following steps that are now underway:

• Environmental contractors began the cleaning and abatement of asbestos this past weekend at the Teaticket Elementary School
• The Superintendent and Director of Finance and Operations met with the Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Labor Standards, environmental and abatement contractors, and town officials to review the phases of the plan to return to the building
• Central Office administrators worked closely with building principals to develop a plan to temporarily relocate Teaticket students and staff
• A request for a site review of our relocation plan from the appropriate governing agencies is in process • The Teaticket administration and support staff have been temporarily relocated to the School Administration Building and can be reached at 508-548-0151 ext. 178
• Channel 14 will air a live broadcast of the Teaticket Elementary School community information meeting on Thursday, August 25 at 5:30 PM. For non-Comcast Falmouth subscribers, the meeting can also be viewed online at http://www.fctv.org/v3/14live . Childcare will be provided for this forum. If you are in need of this service please call 508-548-0151 ext. 143. Updated information will be released in a timely manner. Superintendent Updates will be made available on the Falmouth Public Schools’ website, district and Teaticket Facebook pages, and provided to local media.