Dozens of Tasmanian public schools will close their doors tomorrow after children’s coloured sand was found to contain naturally occurring asbestos.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission issued an urgent recall of several coloured sand products last week, prompting the Department for Education, Children and Young People to today audit all government schools.
When the announcement was first made just after 4pm, 29 schools were set to close completely and another 16 were due for partial closures on Wednesday.
Since then, the department has been quietly updating its list, removing several schools from the closure schedule without any notification or explanation.
The closures apply to schools that used the recalled sand in learning areas within the past week.
“The department is serious about any concerns that could affect the safety of the children, their families and our staff,” DECYP said in a statement.
DECYP said it is working with qualified professionals and WorkSafe Tasmania to clean affected schools and reopen them as soon as possible.
Federal health authorities have assessed the risk as low, saying no respirable asbestos fibres have been detected in any samples.
Even so, authorities are taking a cautious approach. Parents who have the recalled products at home are advised to stop using them immediately.
The sand should be sealed in a heavy-duty plastic bag, with the opening double-taped, and kept out of children’s reach.
The product must not be placed in general waste bins. Families should contact their local council for asbestos-safe disposal advice or visit the Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency website.
DECYP has set up an incident management team to oversee the response and closely monitor the situation.
Full public school closures:
Bagdad Primary School
Bellerive Primary School
Brighton Primary School
Campbell Street Primary School
Clarendon Vale Primary School
Collinsvale Primary School
Dodges Ferry Primary School
Glenorchy Primary School
Howrah Primary School
JRLF – East Derwent Primary School
JRLF – Herdsmans Cove Primary School
JRLF – Gagebrook Primary School
Lauderdale Primary School
Lenah Valley Primary School
Lindisfarne North Primary School
Montagu Bay Primary School
Mount Nelson Primary School
Mount Stuart Primary School
New Norfolk Primary School
Princes Street Primary School
Rokeby Primary School
Romaine Park Primary School
Sandy Bay Infant School
Sorell School
Springfield Gardens Primary School
Warrane Primary School
Windermere Primary School
Partial public school closures:
Beaconsfield Primary School
Illawarra Primary School
Kingston Primary School
Latrobe Primary School
Penguin District School
Perth Primary School
Reece High School
Sheffield School
Spreyton Primary School
South Arm Primary School
Ulverstone Primary School
Full public school closures initially published by the department and since removed:
Miandetta Primary School
Trevallyn Primary School
West Launceston Primary School
Taroona Primary School
Partial public school closures initially published by the department and since removed:
Invermay Primary School
Longford Primary School
Mowbray Heights Primary School
Waverley Primary School
East Ulverstone Primary School
Port Dalrymple School
Partial Catholic Education Tasmania school closures:
John Paul II Catholic School Rokeby (K-2 closed)
Dominic College Glenorchy (K-2 closed)
St Thomas More’s Catholic School Newstead (Kinder – Prep closed)
Sacred Heart College, New Town (K-5 closed)
St Aloysius Catholic College, Kingston (K-4 closed)
Immaculate Heart Catholic School, Lenah Valley (Kinder closed)
Full Catholic Education Tasmania school closures:
Corpus Christi Catholic School, Bellerive
Sacred Heart Catholic School, Geeveston
St Brigid’s Catholic School, Wynyard
St John’s Catholic School, Richmond
St Peter Chanel Catholic School, Smithton
St Cuthbert’s Catholic School, Lindisfarne
