'Trust broken': Parent's anger over Newcastle East Public School asbestos bombshell

Lou Smith kept her nine-year-old son Samuel home from school on his second day of Year 4 on Thursday, saying she was among a group of parents who chose to do so.

Ms Smith said she was considering her son's future at the school - because of the way the incident had been handled, "trust has been broken".

"It's really hard, you tell your nine-year-old that they've got to be on the log for asbestos contamination and they just burst into tears. It's just not fair," she said.

"The education department has failed us, failed our children and failed the staff. Everyone is absolutely furious.

"There's a lot of people who haven't sent their kids to school today [Thursday]."

The backlash comes after parents were told on Wednesday morning that friable loose-fill asbestos had been found on rafters inside the school's heritage building.

The Newcastle Herald reported on Thursday that testing revealed books previously housed in the building tested positive for asbestos, along with a range of other items.

Parents the Herald spoke with on Thursday said there was no prior warning that the asbestos discovery would be announced after Wednesday's beginning-of-the-year assembly, despite the school sending a communique to parents concerning the Coronavirus.

Some parents doing the morning drop-off, unaware of the impending news, were strongly encouraged by teachers to stay for the assembly, the Herald understands.

"We get to school and this bombshell is dropped on us," Ms Smith, a registered nurse, said.

"You'd think they'd send an email out requesting parents to attend a meeting at the school."

Another parent, who asked not to be named, said she kept her two children home on Thursday and would do so until further testing was completed and results released.

One of her major concerns, she said, was the contamination of books.

"My kids take books home every week and fall asleep with them on their bed," the mother said.

"The process and the way the department has gone about this is appalling."

She said NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell should come to Newcastle to speak with the school community.

Newcastle MP Tim Crakanthorp said the fact that parents were keeping children home from school was "an indictment on the poor handling of this situation".

"The minister must come to Newcastle and give these parents a full explanation of what has happened, as well as an iron-clad assurance that the school is safe and what action she will be taking to support the school community moving forward," he said.

The minister said that if further action needed to be taken, she would "ensure it is undertaken by the department".

The department could not provide the school's student attendance figures for Thursday.

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