Spring break usually conjures up images of road trips, beach days and a welcome pause from routine.

For thousands of schools across the United States, however, it can be something else entirely – a rare window to quietly confront a toxic legacy: asbestos.

While hallways sit empty and classrooms go quiet, construction crews often move in, and not always for upgrades or expansions, but for something far more sobering – removing asbestos from aging school buildings. And though this might sound like a problem of the past, it’s very much a danger of the present.

The Unseen Hazard Lurking in Old School Walls

In early 2025, families in Fenton, Michigan, received a notice: their school district would be using spring break to begin asbestos abatement. Similar headlines emerged from Perryville, Missouri, and Cullman, Alabama, where asbestos was either discovered during inspections or otherwise caused emergency closures. What links these events is the era in which many American schools were built – roughly between the 1940s and late 1970s – when asbestos was as common in construction as chalkboards in classrooms.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), more than half of all U.S. school buildings were constructed between 1950 and 1969, during the height of asbestos use in construction materials like ceiling tiles, floor adhesives, insulation, and plaster.

Back then, asbestos was hailed as a miracle material – fireproof, durable, and a great insulator. It was mixed into ceiling tiles, floor adhesives, pipe lagging, and even decorative plasters. The catch? When disturbed or left to deteriorate, asbestos releases microscopic fibers that lodge deep into the lungs, where they can trigger deadly diseases like mesothelioma and asbestosis – typically decades after exposure.

Relatively recent data from the International Commission of Occupational Health (ICOH) reported that asbestos-related diseases cause approximately 39,275 deaths in the U.S. annually, more than double previous estimates.

Why Spring Break Becomes a Window for Asbestos Work

Schools tend to schedule abatement during breaks for practical – and safety – reasons. With students and staff out of the building, the risk of accidental exposure drops significantly; it also gives contractors time to set up proper containment zones, complete the work without disruption, and ensure that airborne fibers aren’t being stirred up near children.

But not all removals are created equal. In August 2022 – just days before classes were set to begin – a construction crew working on HVAC upgrades at North Linn Community School District accidentally disturbed materiales que contienen asbesto. The incident delayed the start of the school year while abatement specialists and officials from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources stepped in to assess and remediate the affected areas. Although the district denied direct responsibility for the violation, it ultimately agreed to pay a $6,000 fine.

What Makes Asbestos So Dangerous?

Unlike mold or gas leaks, asbestos offers up no sensory warning whatsoever – you won’t see, smell, or taste it – and by the time its effects surface, it’s often too late.

  • Invisible threat: Asbestos fibers are thinner than a human hair and can remain airborne for hours once disturbed
  • Delayed symptoms: Illnesses like mesothelioma can take 20 to 50 years to appear after initial exposure
  • Persistent presence: Even decades after its ban in new products, asbestos lingers in millions of older structures

The danger doesn’t lie in asbestos that’s intact and undisturbed, but in the materials that are aging, cracking, or being accidentally disrupted during construction or maintenance.

What Proper Asbestos Abatement Looks Like

Effective – and safe – removal of asbestos follows a strict protocol:

  • Containment: The area is sealed using negative air pressure systems to prevent fiber spread
  • Wet methods: Materials are kept damp to reduce airborne dust during removal
  • HEPA filtration: Air scrubbers trap stray fibers before air is recirculated
  • Disposal: Waste is sealed in double-layered bags and sent to designated hazardous material landfills

This is not a job for general maintenance crews. Licensed professionals must perform abatement, and schools must document every step – both to comply with federal law and to ensure community safety.

Oversight Is There – but Often Under-Enforced

El Ley de Respuesta a Emergencias por Peligro de Asbesto (AHERA), passed in 1986, requires public and private non-profit schools to inspect for asbestos every three years and maintain an up-to-date management plan. However, AHERA doesn’t require removal unless the material is ‘friable’ – meaning it can crumble easily and release fibers.

While AHERA sets clear requirements, enforcement has been inconsistent:​

  • 2018 EPA Audit: A 2018 audit by the EPA’s Office of Inspector General found that many schools were out of compliance with AHERA, citing issues like outdated documentation and insufficient inspections
  • Recent Findings: A 2025 audit by the New York City Comptroller’s Office revealed that the Department of Education failed to inspect 82% of schools known to contain asbestos between 2021 and 2024, highlighting ongoing compliance challenges

What Parents and Communities Should Be Asking

Asbestos might be out of sight, but it shouldn’t be out of mind. Here’s what families and communities can do:

  • Advocate for inspections: These should happen at least every three years, and more often if building conditions are deteriorating
  • Push for funding: Many schools delay removal because of cost, but programs like the EPA’s Asbestos and Small Business Ombudsman Program offer up key guidance on federal grants and compliance support

A Legacy We Can’t Afford to Ignore

Asbestos in schools isn’t a theoretical threat – it’s a known risk. And while the image of a spring break filled with hazmat suits and sealed classrooms is far from idyllic, it’s often the only time schools can take meaningful action.

The road to safer schools isn’t short. But with stronger policies, proper funding, and pressure from informed communities, we can phase out this hazardous material – before today’s students become tomorrow’s victims.

After all, education should never come with a side of lifelong health risk – and spring break shouldn’t be the only time we talk about it.