Students at Alexandria Senior High School in Alexandria, LA will be forced to begin their 2026-27 school year remotely after asbestos was unintentionally released during construction over the summer.
The Rapides Parish School Board had previously announced an emergency at the school during a board meeting on July 7, after asbestos was discovered in the ceiling of the school’s lobby area. Although abatement procedures are underway, the school will not be fit for use in time for the scheduled start of the 2026-27 school year on Aug. 7.
“Since this issue was discovered, our facilities department has been working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality to ensure all appropriate safety and remediation standards are addressed,” according to the statement issued by the school. “We continue to work with the architects and contractors to get the campus ready to receive students and staff.”
Students at Alexandria Senior High School will begin this year’s classes virtually, and while the delay is expected to last “at least a few weeks,” no firm timetable has been offered for the school’s reopening.
Asbestos can cause deadly diseases, including several types of cancer. Fine particles can be disturbed and sent into the air where students, teachers and others can inhale or swallow them without realizing.
Asbestos exposure is the only cause of mesothelioma, a rare type of cancer that starts in the lining of the lungs and abdominal cavity. Mesothelioma takes 20-50 years to develop, but the prognosis is very poor and most people who are diagnosed with the cancer die within two years.
Asbestos in Schools
Legacy asbestos, left behind in old buildings from a time when the material was commonly used as insulation, has caused school closures with some regularity in recent years. Most often, these closures stem from construction or repair work during the summer months, when school is out of session.
Legacy asbestos becomes dangerous when it deteriorates or is disturbed, which allows the mineral’s fine fibers to become airborne. If these microscopic fibers are inhaled, they can lead to cancer later in life.
The 2025-26 school year alone saw school closings at Roxbury Elementary School in Solon, OH, P.S. 176 in Brooklyn, NY, Williamsport High School in Williamsport, MD, and Stege Elementary School in Richmond, CA, all due to the unintentional release of legacy asbestos caused by construction.
The Philadelphia School District has faced a series of dozens of school closures since 2019, with asbestos found in roughly 300 of the district’s 339 buildings. The U.S. Department of Justice actually filed criminal charges against the school district in June 2025, alleging that it failed to adequately inspect a number of its schools.
As many of the school buildings currently in use in the United States are decades old, the issue of legacy asbestos will likely continue to lead to closures for years in the future. Read more about asbestos in schools on the Mesothelioma Guide website.
Sources & Author
- After emergency declared, ASH students’ return delayed ‘a few weeks’. The Town Talk. Retrieved from https://www.thetowntalk.com/story/news/2026/07/22/asbestos-delays-return-of-ash-students-so-classes-to-be-held-virtually/91002135007/?gnt-cfr=1&gca-cat=p&gca-uir=true&gca-epti=z113934p117350c117350e005400v113934d–39–b–39–&gca-ft=207&gca-ds=sophi. Accessed on 07/24/26.
- DOJ files criminal charges against School District of Philadelphia over asbestos management. WHYY. Retrieved from https://whyy.org/articles/school-district-of-philadelphia-asbestos-charges/. Accessed on 07/24/26.
