In Columbia, Missouri, concerns about asbestos at Jefferson Junior High School have caused one worried parent to remove her daughter from the school. Christine Doerr became a local activist, writing letters to the local newspaper and repeatedly speaking with school district officials to make sure they were conducting air quality tests and removing asbestos from Columbia Public Schools buildings.

Following an asbestos violation at the school, the school district was forced to hire a full-time air-quality inspector. In an effort to protect her daughter, Doerr removed her from the public school district in her community.

Maria Doerr is no now enrolled at Columbia Independent School, a private school. This transfer is the second of its kind this year.

“I would much rather Maria would have never been exposed to asbestos,” said Christine Doerr.

This past January, Columbia Board of Education member Ines Segert also pulled her son, Julian, out of public school and enrolled him at Columbia Independent.

Asbestos issues at the public school became more complicated on February 26th, when Doerr called the Missouri Department of Natural Resources to complain about traces of asbestos at the Jefferson Junior High School. The asbestos was allegedly present in a plaster ceiling. No information about this complaint is available.

According to the EPA, there is no safe level of asbestos exposure, although not all people who are exposed to asbestos go on to develop serious health issues like mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer that is aggressive and always fatal.

Despite removing her daughter from the public school system, Doerr admits that thanks to the new air quality inspector, the school is a safer place. “I think Columbia Public Schools are safer now probably than they’ve ever been,” she said.

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