Why Unite?

“All Children Deserve a Healthy Learning Environment” -US Environmental Protection Agency

In October 2013, twenty-one Malibu Middle and High School teachers sent a letter to the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District stating that their “health has been adversely affected” by working on the Malibu High School campus. Three of the 21 teachers had been diagnosed with thyroid cancer within a six-month period, and the others were experiencing symptoms such as migraines, hair loss, respiratory problems, and rashes. As of today, we know of a fourth case of thyroid cancer, many with thyroid disease and children diagnosed with autoimmune illnesses.

The teachers and community members learned that three years earlier, soil on campus had tested positive for nine toxins, including PCBs, lead, DDT, Chlordane and additional pesticides known to be carcinogenic. Parents also learned that in the summer of 2011, more than 1,000 cubic yards of toxic soil was removed from the center of the campus. Parents and teachers had been told this was being done as part of a campus improvement project, not as toxic soil remediation. Upon learning this, teachers became worried for themselves and their students and asked to have their classrooms and soil tested for toxins, specifically those discovered in 2010. Teachers and parents at adjacent Juan Cabrillo Elementary School have also joined in this call since the schools were built at about the same time on the same plot of land.

The environmental issues at Malibu High School and Juan Cabrillo Elementary have caused much concern for our community. Many dedicated citizens have been working behind the scenes to ensure proper testing and transparency of data, but without proper representation in SMMUSD our voices are not heard. Of the seven seats on the district’s School Board, none are occupied by a Malibu resident.

Malibu Unites gives our community a voice to advocate for healthy schools. Today we are faced with the great responsibility of removing toxins in our schools so that our children and teachers have a safe haven in which to learn and to teach. By joining Malibu Unites, you can help ensure that Malibu schools are operating at the highest standards of health and safety, not just for this generation of Malibu children and teachers, but for generations to come.

Mission Statement:

Uniting our community to ensure high standards of health and safety in our schools, for all children and those who educate them.

Our Common Goals
1. Campus-wide testing of soil and classrooms at MHS and JC

2. Independent oversight of testing

3. Community input in assessment, planning, testing, and remediation

4. Increased transparency and full disclosure

5. Successful representation for Malibu within SMMUSD

Our National Goals
1. To author and advocate for a Parent Right to Know Law.

2. Advocate for policy change with EPA and other government agencies regarding PCB and other toxins in schools to give communities options to achieve a toxin-free campus.

3. Unite resources to assist other schools through contaminant issues.