Parents sue Beaufort County school district

[Guest guest]

Parents sue Beaufort County school district

Published Thu, Aug 4, 2005

http://www.beaufortgazette.com/local_news/story/5074038p-

4624157c.html

By DIANE KNICH

The Island Packet

HILTON HEAD ISLAND -- The parents of a former student at Hilton Head

Elementary and Hilton Head Middle schools are suing the Beaufort

County School District, claiming their son developed respiratory

problems from being exposed to toxic mold and fungus at the schools.

Ian Freeman, a ton lawyer who is representing the parents,

said Carl and ett are asking the district to cover

medical and other expenses for ett, their 15-year-old son

who attended Hilton Head Elementary School from 1996 to 2002 and

Hilton Head Middle School for one semester in the fall of 2002.

ett now attends a private school in Jasper County.

The etts are asking for the lawsuit to be certified as a class

action on behalf of students, faculty and staff at the two schools

who have been exposed to toxic mold and fungus. The lawsuit also

asks for a " medical monitoring fund " be set up.

The lawsuit claims that the buildings and improvements at the two

schools suffered from substantial design and construction defects.

Those problems resulted in the schools becoming contaminated with

the mold and fungus.

The lawsuit claims that toxic mold and fungus growing in

ett's nasal cavities and passages and his respiratory system

cannot be permanently removed or destroyed. The families' expenses

as a result of the problem include medical expenses, surgery,

hospitalization and tuition for the private school.

, spokesman for the Beaufort County School District,

said, " Because this matter has entered the legal system, it's

foolish for us to comment on the matter. "

Mold and other air-quality problems have plagued the two Hilton Head

schools.

In February 2003, a group of at least three teachers made a formal

complaint to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and

Health about air-quality hazards at the Hilton Head Elementary

School. The agency inspected the building and found excessive carbon

dioxide levels and fungal contamination.

Since then, the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems in

Hilton Head Elementary's Blue Building were replaced with a system

containing a built-in dehumidifier. In the summer of 2002, the HVAC

system in the Yellow Building was replaced.

Hilton Head Middle School had ventilation and air-quality problems

throughout the 1990s.

Contact Diane Knich at 806-8141 or dknich@....