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Some class openings on hold as mold besets schools

By Anand Vaishnav, Globe Staff, 8/29/2003

This summer's heavy rains and high humidity have launched an outbreak of mold in schools across Massachusetts, forcing some to delay the start of classes while cleaning crews rip up carpets and throw out furniture covered with fuzzy white spots and slimy green growth.

From Harwich to Sturbridge and from Plymouth to Acton, school officials are scrambling to disinfect classrooms and corridors to root out the fungus at an estimated cost of $100,000 to more than $500,000. The mold problem has not been confined to school buildings. Homes and offices have seen outbreaks as well. But public health officials say it poses a particular problem in schools because it can exacerbate childhood asthma.

Costin, business manager for the Harwich public schools, said he was shocked to see the extent of the damage to four classrooms at Harwich High School.

"We went down there expecting to find a few spots or something minor, but it was very, very extensive. It was all over," Costin said, recalling his first visit to the moldy rooms two weeks ago. "It looked like small growths of fuzz, green, white, and brown fuzz. Some were as big as an 8 1/2 by 11-inch sheet of paper."

The most extreme case appears to have struck Plymouth South Middle School, where classes are now scheduled to start nearly two weeks late, on Sept. 15, instead of next Tuesday. Leaking water apparently caused the problem, which has affected the building's walls. If the mold cannot be removed by mid-September, students may begin the school year at Plymouth Community Intermediate School instead.

Getting rid of the mold has saddled school districts with thousands of dollars in unexpected expenses during an already tight budget year.

Cleaning two schools in the three-town Old Rochester Regional School District/Union No. 55 could run as high as $500,000, said Superintendent of Schools R. . And that does not include the bill for replacing moldy books.

In Middleborough, where mold surfaced in 36 classrooms at the Henry B. Burkland Elementary and adjacent K. Goode Elementary, officials replaced 125 student desks, 17 teacher chairs, five computers, and three teacher desks that could not be cleaned. Superintendent of Schools M. Walsh estimated that at least $100,000 will be spent to replace the furniture and finish the cleanup.

The first day of school for 2,000 elementary students in the 3,700-student system has been pushed back to next Thursday. Faulty drainage systems that allowed moisture to seep into the buildings may be the culprit, she said.

"I have learned more about mold and mildew than I ever thought I would," Walsh said.

Meanwhile, parents of children expecting to start school this week or next week in buildings where mold has been discovered have been racing to find temporary child care. Some say they are frustrated the schools will open late.

In Pembroke, mold in nearly two dozen classrooms forced Hobomock Elementary School to open Sept. 8, instead of this past Wednesday. Cordeiro, whose 10-year-old son attends the school, said she hopes the classrooms will be cleaned swiftly and thoroughly. But, Cordeiro added, she also hopes the episode will serve as a lesson for school officials.

"I'm not happy my child has to start school late," said Cordeiro, who is also co-president of the Hobomock Parents Association. "I just wish they found this out earlier."

Other parents took the delays in stride, welcoming the opportunity to extend summer vacation.

Suckow, a father of two Hobomock students, said he plans to take his children to the beach next week. "I mean, what are you going to do? These things happen," he said. "It's better safe than sorry."

While some air quality experts say greater public awareness of mold is driving its frequent detection this summer, others say the season's wet weather is to blame.

"This has been a banner year for mold growth," said Tom Hamilton, owner of OccuHealth, a Mansfield firm that tests air quality in schools and homes. "We had almost two weeks of tropical weather where it rained every day and was warm and moist, and we typically don't see that in August . . . The moisture got in there and really had no way to evaporate." After about 10 days, he said, the mold starts to grow.

If left untreated, mold can worsen asthma or other respiratory problems. Symptoms of mold exposure range from headaches and nausea to memory loss.

Some school officials are blaming more than the weather. In some cases, schools are targeting cleaning companies that did not properly dry carpets after shampooing them, or contractors or engineering firms that installed air-conditioning units in the buildings.

At Harwich High School, maintenance workers on Aug. 11 discovered splotches of white, green, and brown fuzz in four classrooms whose carpets were shampooed in early July. When workers tore out the carpet, they discovered asbestos tiles underneath, and those had to go, too, said Costin, the district's business manager.

The school is expected to open on time next week. But the bill has reached $27,200, which Harwich public school officials want the cleaning firm to pay. Costin said the company is balking. "It's in the hands of our attorneys," he added.

Since October 2002, the state Department of Public Health has evaluated 53 schools for air-quality concerns, and 22 were specifically for mold, said Suzanne K. Condon, a DPH assistant commissioner.

Tench of the Globe staff contributed to this report.

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