Families of students at P.S. 176 in Dyker Heights say they have lost faith in the leadership, after the principal allegedly tried to keep quiet the full extent of conditions inside the elementary school.

Andres Juarez, a parent of two children there and former member of the School Leadership Team, says he first went to Principal Elizabeth Culkin after another parent shared that their child had been forced to learn in a classroom with boarded-up windows - a result of construction that has been going on with the building for years.

Juarez says Culkin told him the windows were just the tip of the iceberg.

"She revealed that we had an asbestos disturbance and exposure in other common areas, like the kitchen, the cafeteria, the auditorium," he says.

However, Juarez says Culkin also said that information was not to leave that room.

"She did not want me to inform anybody," he said.

He alleged that Culkin went as far as to disable his account on the school's online portal, so he had no way of getting messages to other parents, even after seeing an e-mail from an official with the Division of School facilities, which called the classrooms "inhabitable and unacceptable."

Feeling a responsibility, he started telling families anyway, leading to a heated meeting in May, as multiple people confronted Culkin, asking what the truth of the building was, and why there had not been any communication.

"You're like passing the buck," one attendee is heard saying to Culkin after not being happy with a response.

"We're not trying to pass anything, we're listening to you," Culkin answered, to which the attendee said "but you're not answers."

Just a few days after that meeting, members of the DFS came for another meeting, telling families there had been no asbestos exposure - just remediation and abatement, something common for work in old buildings, and which families say they did know about, since there were clear signs outside the building.

The Department of Education told News 12 in a statement, “The health and safety of our students and staff are always our highest priority, and at no point were these students or staff kept in unsafe conditions. The School Construction Authority conducted comprehensive inspections and began remediation work, and we strictly followed all health and safety protocols related to testing and abatement. School and district leaders kept families informed throughout, hosting three engagement meetings where parents were able to tour the building with Division of School Facilities representatives and ask questions directly. The building is safe, and we will continue to work with SCA, federal, and state authorities as welcoming students back to P.S. 176 this September.”

But after feeling misled, parents say they need the school and DOE to do more than just tell them the building is safe.

"We need evidence and documents. not just say oh, it's fine," said Daisy Chen, a parent.

"They have not substantiated (their claims). We do not fully trust them," Added Juarez.

An online petition calling for Culkin's removal has gotten nearly 750 signatures, while the situation has gotten the attention of both City Council member Susan Zhuang, and state Assembly member Lester Chang, who both agreed there needed to be more transparency.

"We need to see more reports to assure what's going on, and also the reports - 200, 300 pages? people need to explain to the parents what's going on," Zhuang said.

Chang says the way things played out make people wonder "are they hiding something?"

Both Zhuang and Chang say they are actively calling on the DOE to test the air quality in every corner of the building, then clearly share the results with families and staff, before even a single student is allowed back through the doors in the fall.