Boston Globe page 1: Environmental report details city school ills

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Environmental report details city school ills

By Jan, Globe Staff  |  November 19, 2004

Ninety percent of Boston's public schools have at least one environmental

problem that can trigger asthma attacks or allergies, such as a leaky roof,

excessive dust, poor ventilation, mice, or cockroaches, according to a

systemwide

inspection done during the last school year.

The problems cut across class lines, affecting campuses in the city's

wealthiest neighborhoods and in the poorest. All three of the city's elite exam

schools -- Boston Latin Academy, Boston Latin School, and the D. O'

School of Mathematics and Science -- have high incidences of pests.

The 146-page report was posted on the school system's website in late

October, but received little attention until this week, when the Boston Urban

Asthma

Coalition announced the public could now see the reports on the city's 139

schools.

Posting the report followed years of debate among community groups, the City

Council, and the school system about whether to inspect schools regularly for

environmental problems, said Zotter, executive director of the coalition,

which urged the School Department to make its inspection reports more

accessible to parents.

In 1996, the council ordered the school system to conduct inspections every

other year, in response to public outcry about indoor air quality problems at a

Jamaica Plain school, Zotter said. But the school system did not comply with

the order to start inspections until 2002, when it began conducting annual

checks, she said.

At least 12 percent of Boston public school students have asthma, Zotter

said.

While on the surface, none of the environmental findings are major, the

school system needs to investigate to protect the health of children and staff,

said Shea, director of the environmental hazards program for the Boston

Public Health Commission, which helped conduct the inspections.

Environmental problems, including pest dander and mold, can ''increase the

frequency and severity of asthma attacks and cause hayfever-like symptoms that

can make people miserable, " he said.

Signs of pests, mostly mice, were found in 71 schools, where inspectors

reported seeing mouse droppings and rodent traps. While inspectors never saw

rats

or mice, Shea said teachers reported that they had. Structural leaks found in

106, or 80 percent, of the city's schools, can turn into a breeding ground for

mold, he said.

School officials say they are dealing with repairs individually, based on the

severity. To fix all of the problems at once would cost about $200 million,

and school officials don't think it's necessary to repair everything

immediately, said School Department spokesman Palumbo.

''We're doing as much as we can and as much as is needed to make sure schools

are as clean and as healthy for kids as possible, " Palumbo said. ''If someone

is hypersensitive to a specific trigger that exists in the student's school,

then we will work with the family to address it. "

Besides pests and leaks, inspectors found visible mold growth, which often

resembled black-gray powder, in about 25 schools and the need for a range of

repairs, from replacing light bulbs to patching holes in walls, in 53 schools.

Inspectors found at least one problem in nearly every school, from lack of

toilet paper at Boston Latin School to above-normal levels of toxic chemicals at

the Boston International School in Jamaica Plain.

''We didn't see anything that would lead us to want to close a school, " Shea

said. ''It's keeping up on all the small things that make a big difference,

rather than waiting for one big thing for a massive intervention. "

Parents and some educators say they're concerned and want to be sure the

school system pays attention.

Bridget Hickson, whose 7-year-old daughter has asthma, said she's worried

that the conditions at the G. Farragut Elementary School near Brigham

Circle could exacerbate her daughter's illness. According to the inspection

report,

signs of pests were found in 51 percent of the areas checked at the school.

The building also had clutter and dust, which can worsen asthma conditions.

''A lot of parents don't know about all the different problems that we're

having in these schools, " Hickson said. ''It makes a big difference for it to be

known because it could save the health of a lot of children. "

At the Maurice J. Tobin K-8 School in Roxbury, the report said, 89 percent of

the areas inspected in May had overt signs of pests, the most in any Boston

school. Inspectors noted that more than half of the areas inspected at the

Tobin needed repairs and about a third of the areas contained improperly stored

chemicals. The report didn't specify the type of repairs needed.

The school is waiting for the Massachusetts Department of Food and

Agriculture to approve its pest management plan before pesticides can be used,

Palumbo

said. Meanwhile, the Tobin and other pest-infested schools plan to block holes

or cracks that let rodents and insects into the buildings and eliminate

sources of food and water that attract pests.

Teachers complain about headaches and upper respiratory problems associated

with mold, dust, and inadeqate fresh air supply, Boston Teachers Union

President Stutman said.

" Asthma in general is a major urban crisis, " Stutman said. ''And I think it's

penny-wise and pound foolish to skimp on repairs. The long-term costs are

astronomical. A kid who's out sick more is less prone to doing homework, doing

well in school. All of this negatively affects teaching and learning. "

Former kindergarten teacher Ginny Lane fell ill in 1998 after moving from her

sunny classroom to a dank one at the Oliver Hazard Elementary School in

South Boston. Lane, who left the school system in 2003, said she suffered

sinus and ear infections almost immediately; doctors eventually discovered

aspergillus mold in her lungs. Lane found that the same type of mold had grown

over

a leather bag full of school books she'd stored in her classroom closet.

The School has since been renovated. Its inspection report lists zero

mold growth, but said that leaks and water stains were found in 40 percent of

the areas inspected in February, even though it received a new roof a year and

a half ago, Palumbo said.

''It's nobody's fault, " Lane said. ''But let's recognize it's a problem and

all get on board to make it safe for the workers and safe for the children. The

more that people have access to this information, the better. "

The School Department began a new round of inspections this month. For the

2003-04 environmental inspection report, visit boston.k12.ma.us/bps/pubs.asp.

''The users of the school building who are there every day should keep their

eyes open and complain when they see something, " Shea said. ''Schools should

have a system where the occupants get more involved and understand how to

access resources and get things fixed. "

Jan can be reached at tjan@.... 

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