SCRANTON, Pa. — It was a packed house for a meeting of the Scranton School Board.
Monday's meeting comes after the district was forced to close four schools last week because lead and asbestos contamination was found inside those buildings.
Emotions were clearly high as parents came before the Scranton School Board, demanding to know how conditions became so poor inside at least four schools.
“My entire world lives in your buildings for six hours a day, five days a week. Frustration does not begin to describe, I'm sorry,” parent Michelle Dempsey told the board as she began to choke up.
This was the first board meeting since the district closed three elementary schools, Robert Morris, Prescott Elementary, and France Willard, as well as Northeast Intermediate late last week.
Those buildings were closed after testing found asbestos and high levels of lead.
The elementary schools reopened Monday, but Northeast Intermediate will remain closed until further notice.
Paul Dougherty, with the district's administration, told the board he went to Northeast and was told it wasn't safe for him to enter the building.
The superintendent said 300 of the school's 600 desks were removed and cleaned by an environmental company.
Parents say they want more information on the contamination.
“Do we have an understanding as to whether or not the air quality test for Northeast came back with asbestos airborne or is it just that there is asbestos in some classrooms in plaster?” asked Matt Barrett.
The district says one option is to divide the nearly 900 students at Northeast between the district's two other intermediate schools.
That option wasn't sitting well with parents.
“Until it becomes airborne, and if you don't know if it's airborne or not, moving 900 students doesn't make sense,” said Barrett as the room erupted into applause.
The superintendent said moving Northeast's students to the other intermediate schools would be faced with several obstacles.