Positive Asbestos Test Shuts Heyworth, Illinois, Schools

Two schools in the central Illinois community of Heyworth are closed after an air sample tested positive for asbestos.

School officials decided to cancel classes beginning Sept. 23 for junior-senior high school and elementary school students.

Superintendent Randy Merker tells The (Bloomington) Pantagraph that the district ordered the asbestos test after custodians found a small piece of hard plaster and worried it might be asbestos.

The district plans an extensive clean-up in the affected area, followed by more testing to determine if it is safe for students and staff to return.