Overton I.S.D. Partially Shuts Down Gym Because Of Mold

February 16, 2007

KLTV - Tyler,TX

An East Texas school has black mold growing on the walls of one of

its gyms. This forced Overton I.S.D. to shut down a part of one of

its two gyms. The school brought in environmental officials to find

out what it was. They discovered a high level of black mold.

After heavy rains last month, an Overton I.S.D. board member became

concerned about a " substance " growing on dressing room walls in the

school gym. " We had a company come out and do an environmental study

and they did find some significantly-elevated levels in what we call

the dressing areas, " said Overton I.S.D. Superintendent Mark

Stretcher.

As a precaution, the school ordered the dressing rooms vacated until

further notice. " We just have the type that can create some

breathing problems and some health problems for the kids and it's

not something that we want the kids around, " said Stretcher.

School officials say the water has been leaking onto the stands for

years. The locker rooms are right beneath the bleachers.

Parsons, whose son is a 7th grader at Overton I.S.D. says she

did not know about the mold until today, when she read it in the

paper. " I would have liked for them to contact us, the parents, but

I do believe that they'll take care of it, " said Parsons, whose son

attends Overton I.S.D.

For now, the school has made another part of the gym a makeshift

changing room. This is a temporary solution, until they figure out

what to do next. " The first thing we gotta do is fix the roof leak,

which will be a rather significant amount of money. And after that

we have some preliminary proposals, " said Stretcher. Until then,

the students here will have to adjust to this uncomfortable

situation.

The school board is set to meet tonight and discuss what to do next.

Dr. Stretcher says they will either close the gym, repair it or

partially rebuild it. They expect to cost about $90,000 to repair

the roof and get the mold out.

Oralia Ortega, Reporting. ortega@...

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