Contact: Erika Martinez
(505)986-4819
Erika.Martinez@nmlegis.gov
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 20, 2014
Investigation Reveals Asbestos Removal During Lunch Hour at Gallup School
Sen. George Munoz Asks Why Red Rock Elementary School Parents Weren’t Properly Informed
Santa Fe, NM – It has recently been reported that the Gallup-McKinley school district has been under investigation for illegally dumping toxic waste for decades. Investigations by state and federal authorities have focused on buried trash that includes asbestos. But, before the asbestos was buried in the dump, elementary school students were exposed to it at lunch time in the school cafeteria. Sen. George Munoz (D-4-Cibola, McKinley & San Juan) does not believe that aspect of the story is getting the attention it deserves and now he’s determined to assure other Gallup-McKinley school district’s parents are made aware of the situation.
According to the investigation done by the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED), which spanned from October 2011 to February 2013, Red Rock Elementary employees removed asbestos pipe insulation from the school’s cafeteria kitchen while students were being served lunch. Sen. George Munoz says there should have been more of an effort by the Gallup-McKinley school district to inform parents of the possible exposure. He is now determined to hold the school district responsible for the actions of its employees.
“After hearing about the allegations, I was extremely angry and concerned. My son, as well as his friends, all attended Red Rock and were present during the incident. Our community trusts that while our kids are in school, employees are taking precautions to assure their safety,” said Sen. Munoz.
Investigation results revealed that several employees witnessed parts of the ceiling in the lunch room fall into the kitchen food service line during the lunch hour. The investigation explains that food service staff argued with the maintenance staff working on the roof about the asbestos labeled material being handled in the area. Eventually, the materials were disposed of and the area was swept, but dust particles still remained in the kitchen where students continued to be served. An unidentified person called NMED to report the incident, which led to questioning of employees who then confirmed that the incident did in fact occur.
“What happened here put our kid’s health in jeopardy and it should have been the responsibility of the school to inform parents about this incident immediately. I want to inform parents who may have had their children at the school during 2011 that they should take the measures needed to ensure that the health of their children was not severely affected by the lack of safety precautions taken by the school,” Sen. Munoz added. “I feel that it is my and the community’s responsibility to get some real answers and to make sure the school takes the proper steps to fix the problems with toxic waste. Policies need to be implemented as soon as possible to assure this does not happen again. The school district had the chance to speak about this during public meetings in Gallup, but chose not to do so. I don’t know why they didn’t disclose the information, but I feel that the public has the right to know.”
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