For weeks, demolition workers have been preparing this site on 212th Street in northern Queens for a school addition that can accommodate 643 students. Parents welcome the new space, but they're alarmed by how the project is unfolding.

"The biggest concern is the health of the children. Everybody agrees that an expansion of the building is necessary. But it should be done in a safe manner," said Alan Queen, a parent.

Alan Queen says he noticed a problem when he dropped off something for his son at the Bell Academy, a middle school next to the construction site.

"In only about ten minutes, my car was coated with a layer of fine dust," said Queen.

Now he's asking why the city isn't monitoring the air quality during the project, which involves tearing down a building and constructing an addition to P.S. 169, which is also next to the site.

"I don't want god forbid a situation to happen where, 10, 20, 30 years from now something turns out that there was something in the air, there was some pollution that wasn't recognized and people god forbid get sick," said Queen.

Work was taking place all day when school reopened in September. It's shifted to after 3:30 p.m. for the demolition phase of the project. Still, parents worry about dust drifting into the schools and play areas.

"My daughter has said that some dust goes into the classrooms, I've heard some parents say that kids either get sick, they're coughing, because of the dust that comes in," said one parent.

The School Construction Authority says asbestos was in the building being demolished but that it was abated over the summer.

As a precaution, school windows are still supposed to be shut, and air purifiers are in classrooms. But students are still having recess outside.

"I'm hoping and guessing that the school is doing the best they can to take care of the kids while they're doing the construction," said another parent.

In response to our questions, the Education Depart says it will conduct another air monitoring test this weekend.

The authority also says its rules require dust barriers and daily cleanup, including wet mopping and wet vacuuming on all projects.

When we visited, we saw one person with a hose watering down the site.