State fire inspectors in Tennessee were surprised to discover that a school they thought closed the past decade due to serious fire code and asbestos violations has actually remained open and occupied by students.
A host of safety issues had led to the school’s supposed closure, including: emergency lighting, sprinkler systems, exit signs, the fire alarm system, use of kerosene heaters, corridors being used for storage and wiring and electrical issues. These have yet to be resolved ten years later.
Upon inspection, authorities discovered that one hallway is blocked off because of an asbestos abatement area, creating a dangerous 76-foot dead end.
The fire inspectors discovered that the building was still in after they responded to an email complaint about the Marion County Academy, an alternative school in Jasper. They arrived to discover the building filled with students.
Marion school officials acknowledged the safety concerns and moved the students out of the building. The board has says they will make a decision to either repair the building or move the students permanently.
Newspaper archives show the school board voted in 2004 to open Marion Academy in the building, so there have been students exposed to asbestos there for at least seven years.
No one is certain how the oversight occurred, but it is disturbing to think of all those children suffering from asbestos exposure. Were you unknowingly exposed to asbestos through another party’s negligence?
Cappolino Dodd Krebs – mesothelioma lawyers