Asbestos contamination | Horizon-Jeunesse secondary school temporarily closed

The 1,400 students at Horizon-Jeunesse secondary school will have to be relocated until mid-October due to asbestos contamination in the establishment.

Tests carried out during the week revealed that “asbestos fibres were found in the school and that decontamination is required,” the Laval School Services Centre confirmed in an email.

A decontamination and cleaning operation is already underway in the establishment, which will have to relocate its activities and reorganize its school transport.

The contamination occurred on the eve of the start of the school year, when a fan was “accidentally activated” while asbestos removal was underway in the school.

“This is not the return to school that we were hoping for for the students and staff of the Horizon Jeunesse school,” commented the general director, Yves Michel Volcy, adding that the establishment is trying “to ensure a resumption of regular classes as quickly as possible.”

Some educational activities will take place in neighboring schools and in the arena adjacent to the Horizon-Jeunesse school, while others will be done remotely.

The situation was “stressful” for parents, according to the president of the parent committee of the Laval School Services Centre, Patrick Dulong-Boudreau. “We’re going to deal with it,” he said. “Of course, we would have preferred another scenario, but we’re relieved that the return to school will still be in person.”

The Horizon Jeunesse school was built 53 years ago. According to the most recent government data on the dilapidation of schools, it is classified as a “D”, which means that it is in “poor condition”.

The work that was carried out this summer included renovating the gymnasium and upgrading science laboratories.

With Marie-Ève ​​Morasse, The Press