The Sedalia 200 School District has released a statement after being alerted to asbestos being found in a classroom at Smith-Cotton Junior High.

According to a press release from the district, a buildup of dust particles in a classroom at Smith-Cotton Junior High School was discovered and sent off for testing on Thursday. District officials made sure to block off the classroom immediately.The particles were created by rolling chairs, which degraded the sealant over floor tiles that were made with an asbestos-containing material. The Federal Environmental Protection Agency refers to this as a “fiber release episode.”

The results came back late Thursday afternoon and confirmed the particles contained asbestos. Specially trained district staff members are thoroughly cleaning the affected room and adjacent spaces at this time. All items in the room were cleaned and bagged, and the floor is being waxed and treated with a sealant. An outside contractor is being brought in to test the air quality in that room and other areas in the junior high. It is important to note that each of the floor tiles in question contains less than three percent asbestos.

The district says it is also taking the precaution of resealing other areas in the junior high with similar tile flooring. This will be performed over the weekend, and air quality tests will be done after the resealing is completed.

Out of an abundance of caution, Smith-Cotton Junior High will have an Alternative Means of Instruction (AMI) Day on Tuesday, February 17th. Seventh and eighth graders will access lessons through their Chromebooks, and sixth graders will be on AMI Day 3 (Green).

Air quality test results are expected to come back to the district Tuesday afternoon, which the district says it will share with the public.