A serious mold problem in the school's finished basement

December 15, 2004

Newport Town, Vermont - December 14, 2004

When class is dismissed at Newport Town School Tuesday, kindergarten

through eighth graders hurry to catch the bus. It will be the last

full day of classes for these kids. The school will be closing at

1:00 P.M. starting Wednesday.

That's because recent air quality tests at the school show high

levels of carbon dioxide, especially in the afternoons. The problem

is due in part to a poor heating and ventilation system and severe

overcrowding compounds the problem.

A serious mold problem in the school's finished basement has spread

leaving half the school unusable. It's sealed off and a majority of

school supplies are quarantined behind the barriers.

But some parents say it's not enough. Many have pulled their kids

out of class... about 20 students in all. Some claim the school

board did not act quickly enough to clean-up the moldy basement

before the problem worsened. The Vermont Health Department is

looking into a high number of asthma sufferers at the school to see

if their conditions are mold related.

The Education Department says it's not prepared to close the school,

but the problems need to be fixed immediately. The Newport Town

School Board is negotiating with specialists to remove the mold. In

the meantime, seventh and eighth graders may be forced to enroll in

the nearby North Country Junior High School until the sealed off

areas of elementary school are open to students again.

Darren Perron - Channel 3 News

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