Two children suffered burns and were being treated in hospital on Monday after tar dripped into their Toronto school gymnasium – the latest construction accident that parents say is the result of school districts facing huge repair backlogs and inadequate provincial funding.
Toronto Police said workers were re-tarring the roof of Derrydown Public School in North York when the incident occurred early Monday afternoon.
Ryan Bird, a spokesman for the Toronto District School Board, said hot asphalt dripped from the ceiling and fell on three children in a Grade 3 gym class. One girl got some on her clothing but was able to change and return to her classroom. An eight-year-old boy got a “minimal amount” on his neck, while another boy had it on his arm, Mr. Bird said.
They were both taken to hospital, but were expected to make a full recovery. The TDSB and the Ministry of Labour are investigating the incident.
The roof replacement at Derrydown is one of several hundred construction projects, of varying degrees, at TDSB schools. There have been concerns raised in some quarters that these projects should be done in the summer months or on weekends. But Mr. Bird said there are too many to complete and some are in need of urgent or emergency repairs.
“It is a very rare occurrence,” Mr. Bird said of construction accidents at schools. “If there are any lessons that can be learned, we will of course take those actions.”
The incident at Derrydown comes just three months after a junior kindergarten student was hit in the head by a piece of metal scaffolding that fell from a construction platform at Palmerston Avenue Junior Public School.
The child, who is four years old, was taken to hospital where she received stitches and was diagnosed with a possible concussion, according to a letter from parents sent to the school board. The girl has since returned to school, Mr. Bird said.
Krista Wylie, a parent and co-founder of Fix Our Schools, a grassroots organization that has been campaigning for more money to repair schools, said years of chronic underfunding have left schools in disrepair.
“Of course, as a parent, as a citizen, I would urge that safety of projects happening while children are on premises has to be first and foremost,” Ms. Wylie said. “Unfortunately, I feel like we’re going to hear more and more scenarios [of children caught up in construction accidents]. We’re at a tipping point.”
Education Minister Indira Naidoo-Harris said in an e-mail statement that she is monitoring the situation. She added that the incident “is concerning and should have never happened.”
The government has announced that it is spending $1.4-billion on school renewal this year, and said that it’s the most in the province’s history.
But Ms. Wylie said that does little to cover years of neglect. The repair backlog has grown to $15.9-billion provincially, including $4-billion for the TDSB. School boards are drowning in repairs, she said, and can only attend to the most urgent needs because of the scarcity of dollars.
Ms. Wylie heard from a parent whose daughter suffered a concussion and broke her wrist because of a railing at school that gave way.
“I think kids get hurt all the time because of disrepair in our buildings,” she said.
Tiffany Ford, trustee for Derrydown Public School, said she was at the school on Monday and the smell of fumes in the gymnasium was strong. Ms. Ford said she will be requesting that the TDSB halt all roofing projects to ensure that proper supervision and safety measures are taken.
On Monday, parent Jenitha Jeganathan came to pick up her seven-year-old son when she heard about the accident. She said she was concerned about safety since the construction began.
“I was talking to other parents and telling them that this is not safe and I don’t think that kids should go out for recess because it’s all over the place,” she said.
Another parent, Millicent Nortey, who has two children attending the school, said: “You bring your child to school and you expect to pick that child up in good health or as you brought them in … I’m worried, I’m really worried.”