Students, Teachers Say School Makes Them Sick

[Guest guest]

Students, Teachers Say School Makes Them Sick

Administration Says School Is Safe

POSTED: 6:27 pm EST December 12, 2006

UPDATED: 6:42 pm EST December 12, 2006

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/10520207/detail.html

HULL, Mass. -- School officials in Hull are meeting Tuesday to

discuss a mold issue at a local school that some say is making

students sick.

NewsCenter 5's Janet Wu reported that complaints about an unpleasant

odor at the s Elementary School in Hull began in September. It

turns out the problem was mold and now there are questions about

lingering health issues.

When students returned to the Elementary School in the fall,

fifth-grade teachers and students housed in the modular units said

they immediately noticed a strange smell.

" There were six of us out there who began to experienced headaches,

sinus problems, " said fifth-grade teacher Debbie McCarthy.

McCarthy said they notified the administration immediately. Last

month, students were removed from the modular buildings and are now

at the middle school.

" All of the conditions were ripe for mold to grow and it did. It was

discovered and we took immediate action to abate it, " said Hull

Schools Superintendent a Delaney.

But McCarthy, who is also the president of the Teachers' Union, said

an environmental report completed in August already declared that

mold was a problem. The union did not see the report until recently.

Then moldy excess carpeting was found under the units in November.

Delaney said as of Tuesday, teachers have all relevant information.

" The modular classrooms we discovered some moisture, not mold. There

was no visible mold in the modular buildings, " said Delaney.

McCarthy disagrees with Delaney.

" On Oct. 20, I removed a metal box in my classroom and there was

black slime on the carpet, in the classroom I teach in, " said

McCarthy.

The superintendent said misinformation has teachers unnecessarily

alarmed, but McCarthy said problems persist in the original building

where students are still attending classes while construction of a

new addition is being completed.

McCarthy said a report that said higher than normal levels of toxic

mold were found in 31 areas of the building since the school was

cleaned. But the superintendent said not all mold is necessarily

dangerous.

" As far as I'm concerned, the test results that we got back

indicated that it was safe, extremely safe, to go back into those

rooms. Otherwise, we would not have gone back in those rooms, " said

Delaney.

McCarthy said dozens of teachers and parents of students are still

complaining about breathing problems, allergies and intestinal

difficulties.

A health and safety meeting will be held at Hull High School on

Tuesday and the Teachers' Union said they hope an administration

official will attend to answer questions.