A group known as Malibu Parents for Healthy Schools has merged with the newly formed Malibu Unites, aiming to fight for environmental safety at Malibu schools.
The two groups formed in the wake of environmental controversy at Malibu High School and Middle School when a group of teachers came forward with several health concerns last October, including three suffering from thyroid cancer. Controversy further erupted when it was revealed that toxic soils were found at Malibu High in 2010 and the school district did not notify parents about the situation.
Malibu Unites was founded in recent weeks to advocate for comprehensive testing of Malibu High, Middle and Juan Cabrillo Elementary schools as the school district embarks on a massive testing and cleanup endeavor.Â
“Today we are faced with the great responsibility of removing toxins in our schools so that our children and teachers have a safe haven in which to learn and to teach,” the group wrote on its website.
The organization’s Advisory Council includes recognizable names such as Cindy Crawford, Emilio Estevez and City Councilman Skylar Peak. View the full list here. Jennifer DeNicola, a local parent who became heavily involved in advocacy for safety when the health scare first broke, is also listed among the leaders.
Malibu Parents for Healthy Schools originally formed in October and hired a consultant who recommended the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District test campus grounds for cancer-causing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).
The Malibu Parents for Healthy Schools group decided to join Malibu Unites “to continue to fight for environmentally safe schools. Parents, teachers, community leaders, scientists, medical experts, and environmental groups have come together to form this new group,” according to a statement released on Thursday.
The Santa Monica-Malibu school district signed a contract with Environ last week to conduct all campus testing and cleanup. The cost of the contract has yet to be revealed, but the district has already spent around $500,000 on the environmental situation.