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GLENDALE - A big win for parents protesting an asbestos removal plan at Nicolet High School.

On Monday, school officials announced they will give in to parents' demands and delay the project until the end of the school year. The fight had gone all the way to a county court.

Hours before a judge was set to rule on whether or not to delay the project, the school district backed off of plans to start the project immediately.
 
"The outcome is that the children will be safe, and it's going to be a safe place," said Michael Watton, a Nicolet parent and former asbestos litigator.
 
Michael and Debra Watton led the charge to stop the project, filing legal papers to block Nicolet from moving forward with the asbestos removal until summer school. Many parents complained removing asbestos during the school year could expose students to airborne asbestos fibers, potentially causing lung cancer and mesothelioma.
 
"I feel very relieved, because ultimately, this needs to get done. I think it was unfortunate that we needed to go this far," said Debra Watton.
 
Parents asked the school district to wait three weeks until summer school, when fewer students were around. The school district argued that there was no risk, and they had taken every safety precaution. Under mounting pressure from parents and the legal challenge, the school district backed down.
 
Superintendent Rick Monroe wrote in a letter to parents, "There has been a spread of unfounded fears in the community."
 
"Still…we do not want there to be an unwanted distraction to our students as they finish up the school year."
 
The Wattons believe it was complaints from numerous parents as well as the legal challenge that forced Nicolet to delay.
 
"It was because of all of their efforts, all of us working together, that we got this result," said Debra Watton.
 
Superintendent Monroe also writes in his letter that the delay will postpone the completion of a renovated library and academic support center, which were supposed to be ready by the start of school in the fall.
 
Monroe also says the delays will increase construction costs for the district. He does not specify how much the added construction cost will be.