Fury and Worry Fuel Malibu Parents, District In the Hot Seat

[proverbialwisdom]

6. Parents, Celebrities Demanding Safe Environment At Malibu High

http://www.myfoxla.com/story/26271249/parents-celebrities-demanding-safe-environment-at-malibu-high

Parents, Celebrities Demanding Safe Environment At Malibu High

Posted: Aug 13, 2014 10:23 AM PDT
Updated: Aug 13, 2014 10:25 AM PDT
By: Gina Silva, Special Projects Reporter



VIDEO AT LINK

Parents in Malibu are demanding a safe environment for all students attending Malibu High School and Juan Cabrillo Elementary School. At a star-studded news conference, former model Cindy Crawford said she's had enough of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District. "I have lost some of my confidence in my school board and their promise to keep our teachers and students safe," said Crawford. In a passionate speech, actor and parent Josh Malina said, "They cover their eyes when they tell us that they're not gonna test the caulk in the classrooms, subscribing to the old falsehoods that what they don't know won't harm our kids."

At issue is a chemical called polychlorinated biphenyl or P-C-B. The Environmental Protection Agency conducted numerous tests and discovered two Malibu schools had high levels of P-C-B which can cause serious medical problems including cancer. EPA officials say the potentially harmful PCB ended up at schools starting in the 1950's through the use of caulk which was used to seal gaps in windows and doors. A clean up was conducted, new testing was done and EPA officials gave the all clear but parents say the caulk is still at the schools.

Crawford says, "The caulk is still there and so my feeling is to test the caulk and if it needs to be removed, lets remove the caulk. It doesn't seem like rocket science to me." Actor Ed Begley Jr. said, "I'm hoping that they do full testing and they find some way to remediate the PCB's found here in high levels. I don't want any of these kids put in harms way." Ricky Schroeder, another actor and parent with a student in Malibu expressed the same sentiment. He said, "It's a really risky chemical. It's better just to get it removed."

Oscar De La Torre, the only school board member present at the news conference said he understands the parents concern. He says other board members have warned him not to get involved.

"Someone told me you're gonna be responsible for bankrupting the school district and I don't believe that. I'd rather be fiscally bankrupt and be on the right side of history than to be morally bankrupt and the on the wrong side," says De La Torre.

School starts on Monday August 18th. No word from the district if classes will be postponed.

http://www.malibutimes.com/news/article_1e46e304-22b5-11e4-8e3d-0019bb2963f4.html

Cindy Crawford Pledges Money for PCB Testing

Posted: Wednesday, August 13, 2014 7:00 am
By Emily Sawicki

Supermodel and Malibu mom Cindy Crawford, speaking on behalf of herself and husband Rande Gerber, Tuesday evening offered to foot the bill of the PCB cleanup at Malibu High School. She spoke during an evening rally in Malibu’s Civic Center.

“If money is an issue, Rande, my husband, and I have decided that we would happily pay for proper and thorough testing of all pre-1979 classrooms,” Crawford said to the crowd gathered outside of the Malibu Library.

“This is if they will let us. I don’t know how they could possibly say no,” Crawford added.

Crawford was speaking to an enthusiastic crowd of hundreds of MHS students, parents, Malibu citizens and celebrities, who were rallying in support of Malibu Unites, a nonprofit dedicated to proper disposal of PCBs at Malibu High School and Middle School.

PCB concerns arose in October 2013 when several Malibu High School teachers expressed fear that the diagnosis of three teachers with thyroid cancer could be related to contaminants on campus. PCBs were a common building material in the mid-20th century that have later been proven to cause health problems in those exposed to them.

Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District board member Oscar de la Torre came to voice his support for Malibu Unites, clarifying that he was not speaking as a member of the school board.

He called for mobile classrooms at the high school to ensure students and faculty would not be in danger, “even if I’m the only one calling for it.”

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COMMENTS: Arcane discussion of EPA regulations includes poster who states, "I helped write them."

mamielebu posted at 10:32 am on Wed, Aug 13, 2014.
Posts: 74
Whoa! Oscar de la Torre!!!!! Break from the pack and blow down the barriers to the truth!

AltaKocker posted at 10:26 am on Wed, Aug 13, 2014.
Posts: 56
Sorry thesilversurfer but 40 CFR 761.20 does apply to materials in place also. I helped write them.
Building materials (eg. caulk) in Malibu tested, by EPA certified lab, at the highest level ever recorded in a classroom in USA, over 7,000 times safe levels, according to EPA Regs.

AltaKocker posted at 12:24 am on Wed, Aug 13, 2014.
Posts: 56
Cindy Crawford paying for the PCB caulk testing is National News.
If the SMMUSD allows the EPA certified lab to test, almost all the rooms will be out of compliance and unhealthy according to 40 CFR 761.20.
If they don't allow the testing, they will be admitting that the testing they have done was all part of a fraud.
The SMMUSD is done for. Stick a fork in them.
Hopefully the Mayor and City Council will now join the parents and teachers in their quest for safe schools and safe classrooms.

http://www.malibutimes.com/news/article_43e08c82-21b1-11e4-aaf7-001a4bcf887a.html

Malibu Unites Organizes Protest at Malibu Library

Posted: Monday, August 11, 2014 5:00 pm
By Melissa Caskey

A community protest is scheduled to take place on Tuesday night in front of Malibu Library, as a group of parents, teachers and other advocates speak out against the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District's cleanup plan for Malibu High School.

The protest begins at 6 p.m. and is being led by local group Malibu Unites. The event will include appearances from "celebrity advocates," according to an announcement.

Malibu Unites has been ramping up pressure on the school district for several months as officials deal with an environmental scare at Malibu High, Middle School and Juan Cabrillo Elementary. The group remains angry at the district for its handling of the known presence of PCBs, a human carcinogen, in building materials at the campuses.

The Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff's Station plans on sending deputies to the event, according to Lt. James Royal.

Tracy Wright contributed to this report.

MalibuJohn posted at 11:22 pm on Mon, Aug 11, 2014.
Posts: 8
Maybe SMMUSD can show up and meet with Parents and MU directly to address their concerns. The hundreds of emails sent to City Council and SMMUSD have basically been ignored. City Council waited 10 months to take any action then set a meeting for days after school is set to begin. Bad timing or just bad leadership?
Both.