Division Avenue High School to reopen Friday after no asbestos found

Stacey Sager Image
Thursday, May 5, 2016
Asbestos concerns at LI school
Stacey Sager reports from Levittown, where a school was closed as a precaution due to concerns over possible asbestos.

LEVITTOWN, Long Island (WABC) -- Division Avenue High School on Long Island was closed Thursday due to a possible asbestos discovery, but officials said further inspection found no fibers in the air.

School officials said a contractor replacing light fixtures at the Levittown building Wednesday night inadvertently drilled into an area where there may have been asbestos, prompting the closure of the Levittown school.

"This will give us an opportunity to fully assess the situation and take all appropriate action before students and staff will be allowed to reenter the building," read a statement from Levittown Schools.

Officials said the closure was merely a precautionary measure, one that affected more than 1,000 students in grades 9 through 12.

Workers from an environmental and construction consulting and testing firm performed air tests Thursday morning and afternoon and confirmed that there were zero asbestos fibers in the air.

The school will open as usual on Friday.