Black mold removed from High School

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Saturday, November 19, 2005

Black mold removed from High School

By Croyle

Enquirer staff writer

Cincinnati,OH

http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?

AID=/20051119/NEWS0103/511190434/-1/CINCI

The Enquirer/Ernest

Kenton County School Superintendent Cook in front of the area

where a discovery of mold caused school to close Friday.

TAYLOR MILL - The mold found at High School that forced the

school to close Friday " has a bad reputation, " according to Bruce

Fergusson.

Fergusson, president of Air Source Technology in Lexington, disposed

of the black mold, known as Stachybotrys, which he found behind

about a 2-foot-by-10-foot section of drywall in a classroom Thursday.

Results from air quality tests he performed came back Friday at

normal levels, says Kenton County Schools Superintendent Cook.

There will be school on Monday.

" We will continue to follow EPA guidelines for follow-up, " Cook

said. " He will do another quality test on Friday, and we will do

random testing for the rest of the school year. "

The district was alerted by Burks on Thursday that there may

be mold in the 26-year-old school. Burks' daughter, Crawford-

Houston, is a senior at . Since August, has had a runny

nose, itchy eyes and fatigue - all possible symptoms of mold. Burks

said has seen three doctors and all of them asked if she had

any exposure to mold.

" We had the house tested, and none was found, " said Burks. " There

was none in her car, and she doesn't work. "

" I just wasn't even thinking about it being at school. "

After Burks met with district officials Thursday afternoon, the

superintendent called Fergusson. " We took ('s) class schedule

and targeted those areas, " said Cook.

They found some water damage from the heavy rain this week behind

some drywall in 's social studies classroom.

But whether that was the source of 's problems is unclear.

Fergusson said it's hard to tell how long Stachybotrys takes to

grow, but that he has seen it form within days.

Principal Clay Dawson acknowledged that there was mold in July when

the carpet was steam-cleaned and the air conditioner broke at the

same time, but that it happened in one classroom and was cleaned up.

Burks said her daughter may have to have surgery on her sinuses.

Dawson said attendance at in the last 30 days has been higher

than Dixie Heights High School and less than one-half of 1 percent

below Simon Kenton High School, the other two high schools in the

district.

E-mail wcroyle@...