Asbestos floor removal, new fire alarm panels and repaving over the summer

What happened

A section of flooring at Hopkins Hill Elementary contains asbestos tiles that have begun to deteriorate as the protective wax breaks down. The district applied to the Rhode Island Department of Health and the committee approved replacing the floor using bond money. At the same meeting it approved repaving the Hopkins Hill blacktop, which fifth graders had written to the superintendent asking for. In May the committee had already approved replacing the fire alarm panels at Hopkins Hill and Tiogue elementary schools, which the superintendent called a safety issue.

Why it matters to families

Asbestos tiles and end-of-life fire alarm panels are exactly the kind of building problem that has to be dealt with before children are in the room.

The evidence

The June 11, 2026 approved minutes record the superintendent reporting that a section of flooring at Hopkins Hill containing asbestos floor tiles has begun to deteriorate as the wax protecting them breaks down, that an application has been submitted to the Rhode Island Department of Health, and 6-0 votes approving the floor replacement using bond funds and impact fees for paving at Hopkins Hill. The May 14, 2026 minutes record a 7-0 vote approving impact fees for fire alarm panel replacement at Tiogue and Hopkins Hill, with the superintendent stating the panels are at the point where they need to be replaced and emphasising that this is a safety issue. Costs are not recorded in the minutes.

The source