Jillian Dickens
Northern News Services

Broughton Island (Nov 21/05) - Fibreglass was the cause of rashes, hives and red eyes at Inuksuit school in Qikiqtarjuaq.

Government investigations last week revealed that small particles of batted fibreglass were dislodged while assessments to the school's sprinkler system were being done.

"Then the particles were sucked in through the system," said Lorne Levy, manager of capital planning for the department of Education.

"It is being cleaned up as we speak," he said on Friday afternoon.

The fibreglass was sprayed Friday to ensure particles will not be able to move when bumped in the future, and the air system will be vacuumed out this week.

The school remains closed, but government officials hope it will open sometime this week.

Principal Laura Marchand reported complaints of allergic reactions on Nov. 7. The school had been closed since Nov. 9.

Marchand originally told this newspaper of complaints made up to two weeks before Nov. 9. Those complaints have been confirmed as isolated cases, not relating to the air quality of the school.

"The stuff that was reported to her two weeks ago wasn't germane to what is happening now," said Levy. "It was an allergy thing, but it wasn't related to this."

"It is a completely different item. It's a coincidence."

The school was closed for half days "a few times" before it was closed indefinitely on Nov. 9, said Marchand.

Pam Hine, Deputy minister of Education, said she supports the principal's actions.

"When they saw the issue was more permanent, they closed it until further notice."

Technical staff from the departments of Health and Social Services and Community and Government Services, along with environmental clean-up specialists, arrived in the community on Nov. 15.

They completed the environmental health tests at the school Nov. 18.

A concerned parent who threatened to take her child out of school if she didn't receive answers fast is acting on her promise.

"I'm pulling him out," said the woman, who wished to remain anonymous. "He's going back to Inuksuk high school in Iqaluit. He'll be there on Thursday."

She says "it's just one thing after another. And I think the fact that the school is still closed demonstrates that."

She says she was planning to enrol her son at Inuksuk high school in January anyway, but this just speeds up the process.