Moncton High staff asked to submit health files

School District 2 is asking teachers at Moncton High School to submit medical records to support claims the 75-year-old building is making them sick.

The teachers union is concerned that more than half of the school's staff is sick and they believe mould and asbestos are causing asthma and other breathing problems.

Karen Branscombe, the district superintendent, said she believes the aging Moncton school is safe, but she is taking the complaints very seriously.

"Perhaps there is asthma or there's related effects of perhaps being at the school. We really need some medical evidence," Branscombe said.

'The concerns that teachers have are very, very serious. They have deep concerns. Our first concern always is our safety and our health in any building.' — Noreen Bonnell, N.B. Teachers' Union

"We know that teachers are waiting for some answers that we're hoping they'll be patient with us as we work through the process and get for them."

Teachers made a presentation to the district, WorkSafeNB, the Department of Education and the Department of Health on Monday outlining their concerns about working in the 75-year-old school.

Noreen Bonnell, the co-president of the New Brunswick Teachers' Union, said staff at Moncton High School are finally getting somewhere with the district.

"The concerns that teachers have are very, very serious," Bonnell said.

"They have deep concerns. Our first concern always is our safety and our health in any building."

Teachers' complaints

Moncton High School was closed for six days last month because of safety concerns. That closure sparked a controversy over what should be done with the school, which first opened in 1935.

Representatives of School District 2, which oversees Moncton High, say they have been working to address the teachers' concerns and that 250 repairs have been done over the past 18 months.

CBC News obtained copies of teachers' complaints earlier this week that suggest health problems have been a concern among dozens of teachers at the school over at least the past three years.

Letters have also been sent by the head of the parent school support committee asking the provincial government for help addressing the concerns.

In addition, a 2009 architectural report recommended that the school's roof, floors and walls be replaced; upgrades be made to the attic and exterior stonewalls; and plaster walls containing asbestos be removed.

The district is waiting on a consultant's report to be released that will recommend whether the 75-year-old building should stay or go.

An earlier consultant's report from Ontario-based CS&P Architects said it could cost $48 million to bring the school up to building code, which is double the cost of building a new school.