Asbestos Find Closes School in Valley Glen

After closing the gymnasium, locker rooms, multipurpose room and faculty dining room at Grant High School because of asbestos, Los Angeles school officials Friday ordered more inspections at the 3,400-student campus and alerted parents the school may be closed Monday.

Administrators also canceled the school’s 7 p.m. football game Friday at Polytechnic High School in Sun Valley because Grant team members were restricted from entering the gym to get their uniforms or equipment. The game will not be rescheduled, officials said.

The latest discovery of asbestos on a Los Angeles Unified School District campus came as Palisades Charter High School reopened Friday, a week after it was closed for asbestos cleanup. Fine particles of asbestos can lodge in the lungs and lead to a higher risk of cancer.

Contamination also led to the closure of Roosevelt High School on the Eastside this week, but the school could reopen Monday.

School officials said they would notify parents through the media whether Grant and Roosevelt high schools will be open Monday. They will also use an automatic phone dialer that calls students’ homes.

“We are working as quickly as possible,” said Shel Erlich, a spokesman for the school district.

Erlich cautioned that more district schools could close as safety inspectors continue to look for asbestos, which has been found at five other campuses, including Columbus Middle School in Canoga Park.

District officials discovered the contamination while inspecting schools districtwide for damage after the Oct. 16 Hector Mine earthquake in the Mojave Desert. Officials said they will continue inspections, because students and faculty may have been exposed as a result of hundreds of construction jobs underway throughout the district.

The district says it has stringent rules to ensure any asbestos released during construction projects is removed without exposing students.

At Grant High, administrators said they believe exposure is minimal. On Thursday night, inspectors discovered “suspicious areas,” such as a hole in the ceiling.

Students attended classes Friday, after inspectors determined classrooms, the main office and cafeteria were safe, said Assistant Principal Rita Hymes, who oversees athletics.

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Chances the school will be closed Monday “are pretty slim,” Hymes said. “But you never know for sure.”

On Friday, Grant students took letters home explaining the situation.

“The kids are fine,” Hymes said. “I’ve spoken with some parents and they’re calm. I honestly don’t expect more to be found.”

Almost every Los Angeles school has asbestos, which is not considered harmful while bound into building materials such as floor tiles.

District officials have identified about 500 projects where construction may have disturbed asbestos and allowed particles to become airborne.

About 150 sites have been inspected so far, officials said.