Buckley School - Teachers' Sickness Probe Set

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http://www.ctnow.com/news/local/ec/hc-manschool1206.artdec06,1,6129553.story

Teachers' Sickness Probe Set Expert Will Be Hired To Find Out Why 3 At Buckley School Have Been IllDecember 6, 2003 By CHRISTINE DEMPSEY, Courant Staff Writer MANCHESTER -- Superintendent Alan Beitman has authorized the school system to hire an expert to find out why three staff members at Buckley School have been sick, one of them for years.Three teachers who work in three special education classrooms have consistently had symptoms that include coughing, sneezing, headaches, dizziness and nausea, Beitman said in an afternoon press conference at the school. He sent letters describing the problem to parents Friday.Principal Holly Maiorano said one teacher's doctor said the problem seems to be "environmental," because the teacher feels better on weekends. One of the teachers has been sick for five years.Each of the classrooms has 10 to 12 students, Beitman said. Although some of the students have been in and out of the nurse's office, there hasn't been a spike in the frequency of their ailments, he said. And it is hard to tell if the illnesses are linked with some kind of problem at Buckley because some of the students already have chronic respiratory problems.The school system has tried to find the source of the problem. Workers replaced ceiling tiles that looked wet and cleaned the carpets. The school system also bought two $500 air purifiers, Beitman said, but the problem persists." [salcius] has crawled around some places, looking for mold," he said of the town's sanitarian. "To date, we cannot find any mold or any active microorganism."School officials have been meeting with workplace environmental and indoor air quality experts, Beitman said. One told him roof and carpet replacement projects planned for the summer may take care of the problem. Also, an attempt will be made to remove wooden panels in the classrooms over the Christmas vacation. That may prove difficult, though, because it will involve electrical and duct work, he said.Beitman said he doesn't want to wait until the next school year to see whether the new roof and carpeting alleviate the problem. "I don't want to be discussing this in September," he said.The expert evaluation may come with a price, he said. The fee for an initial inspection could be about $5,000, although it also could be free. But the cost goes up if work is required. Sequeira, co-president of the school's PTA, said she is satisfied with the way the school system is handling the problem. She was one of a variety of people invited to the press conference, including school board representatives, town and school maintenance workers, health department employees and the teachers' union president."I don't think people need to panic," Sequeira said. "It's something that is not affecting the children."