Classes Relocated at Malibu High School
Video by Raishad Hardnett
[UPDATED Tuesday, Oct. 08 | 4:45 p.m. PST: Some classes at Malibu High School will be relocated to Juan Cabrillo Elementary School starting Wednesday because of potential health risks. Santa Monica-Malibu School Superintendent Sandra Lyon made the announcement at a meeting Tuesday to 350 parents in a crowded Malibu High School auditorium.
"There was a lack of communication and a fear created in the community and for that I apologize," said Lyon. "We did have a plan to communicate with you, but that did not happen fast enough."
Lyon also said county officials will be conducting voluntary surveys of school employees' health and mold tests by Friday. The results will be available to the public. Parent demanded Monday for classes to be moved."]
After a third of the teachers at Malibu High School complained that recent construction may have caused an onset of illnesses, investigators began looking into possible contamination.
The complaints came after the school hired contractors to dig up and remove dirt that was contaminated with carcinogens, lead and pesticides in 2010. The teachers said the school exposed them to cancerous agents. Three teachers attributed their thyroid cancer to the school's toxic conditions.
When Catherine Dao first got word that her child could be exposed to cancerous chemicals at Malibu High School, she almost pulled him out of school. "I freaked out," Dao said. "They need to solve this very quickly because a lot of people are pissed off."
"I think anything that you're a parent, you're going to be concerned," said Superintendent Sandra Lyon. "But we wouldn't have students and staff in that building and on that campus if we had any belief there was anything to be concerned about."
"It's our children for God's sake," exclaimed Dao.
Melanie Goldfarb, a cancer expert, said there's no research that supports the teacher's allegations. "Really, the only known cause that we know is radiation," said Goldfarb. "There is speculation that there might be some environmental things maybe, but nothing has been proven."
"We want the community to know that we're doing everything we can to protect them," explained Principal Jerry Black. "We know and believe this campus is safe."
Black said an investigation was conducted on Friday and the results will come out soon.
How did the PCBs and other carcinogens get into the soil at the school? How widespread is the contamination? Malibu High may be one of the many schools across the country built on top of a former dumpsite. Has there been a title search of the property to help determine previous land-use?