Yuma School District One sent an advisory over the weekend notifying the community of the possible presence of asbestos in a staff-only room at Palmcroft Elementary School.
According to the district, construction took place in the room after hours when students and visitors were not on campus during the week of July 7, 2025. The following day, the district learned about the possible presence in that space. A construction company is conducting thorough testing of the affected area, and the district is currently awaiting test results which may come as soon as this week.
Asbestos is a mineral fiber that's heat and corrosion resistant. It was widely used in building materials, insulation, fireproofing and brakes until the 1980s when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency set guidelines to reduce exposure. Due to rising evidence of links to lung disease, Congress enacted the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) in 1986 to create regulation for the management of asbestos in school buildings.
According to the EPA, exposure may generally occur "only when the asbestos-containing material is disturbed or damaged in some way to release particles and fibers into the air."
"At District One the safety of our students, staff, and families is our top priority," the advisory read. "When we learned of this potential presence, we took immediate action to remove individuals from nearby areas by dismissing summer camp students for the day and postponing the summer food program at Palmcroft while the situation was further investigated. The area has been roped off to prevent anyone from entering the space while testing is conducted."
District One confirmed with KAWC that while construction took place after hours, it learned of the possible presence during summer camp and summer food program hours the next day. That was when it made the decision to remove nearby individuals and dismiss program activities for the day.
While it awaits test results, District One stated it is acting out of an abundance of caution by taking the following steps to ensure the safety of all students, staff and visitors.
- Individuals who may have spent time in the adjacent school cafeteria on July 8th, 9th or 10th have been notified of a possible low risk of exposure.
- The area has been roped off to prevent access while awaiting test results.
- The summer food program has ended for the summer and families will be invited to visit one of the District’s other sites: the main cafeteria (450 W. 5th St.), O.C. Johnson Elementary, C.W. McGraw Elementary and Castle Dome Middle School.
As the construction area was a single room that students do not access, District One assures families that the campus remains safe for its summer campers. Summer camp is taking place at a completely separate part of campus from the construction area and there's no HVAC connecting them, so the district has deemed it safe to continue meals and activities for camp.
This reporting is supported by a grant from the Arizona Local News Foundation.
