I am a concerned parent new to Malibu. We have five children—two-and-a-half to 14 years old. They should go to nursery school and then two at Juan Cabrillo and two at Malibu Middle. One has special needs, so we are very familiar with school districts and their lack of speed or interest unless pushed into a corner by mediation or legal action. The current toxic issue is not being taken seriously by SMMUSD. They are going to play games to safeguard their liability. This is the first school district in California to report PCBs, so a correct and safe precedent needs to be set. What is plan B?
The tours offered are a waste of time, unless you want to see the school being cleaned and desks with chewed gum underneath. The tours are a way for the SMMUSD and principals to try and reassure us that everything isÂ
OK. They are not doing thorough testing and they don’t have an immediate action plan for remediating the PCBs. PCBs are toxic and if they are over 50 pp, by law, they must be removed.
The parents who say, “my child is OK” or “my children went through Juan Cabrillo and MHS with no problem” are being complacent. The chemical load we all walk around with as we absorb environment toxins daily may not harm us now but they will in the future, especially when women give birth. I don’t want my children or grandchildren affected. I would not wish Autism on anyone. It is a challenge that is life-long, and one of the hazards of PCBs. Sure there are lots of environmental hazards we come in contact with daily but if we can change that, why wouldn’t we?
The SMMUSD should err on the side of caution and over-test to get ahead of the crisis and growing distrust.
The parents in this community are amazing; many are involved with Malibu Unites. Malibu Unites is working to get the accurate information out to the community. The ramifications of not doing this right will affect other schools in the state, so we must not give up. We all need to be the squeaky wheels that make a difference for the sake of our children’s and teachers’ health, and so that SMMUSD listens and acts.
Tara Buran