Severe mold problem found at Tokay High School

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Severe mold problem found at Tokay High School

Lodi News-Sentinel - Lodi,CA*

By Dyer

News-Sentinel Staff Writer

Last updated: Friday, June 22, 2007 11:09 AM PDT

http://www.lodinews.com/articles/2007/06/22/update/mold.txt

Every classroom at Tokay High School is tainted by a significant

mold problem that will cost the Lodi Unified School District more

than $14 million to clean up.

District superintendent Bill Huyett confirmed today that significant

amounts of various molds have been found at the school.

The problem is so bad the district will ask the Lodi Unified School

board to delay Tokay High's fall start date to Sept. 4 because of

construction to eradicate the mold.

" We do believe that we will not finish before school starts, " Huyett

said.

Construction workers found the mold inside the walls of the school's

science building on Monday during a scheduled modernization project.

Since Monday, district staff members have been investigating the

problem.

" Every classroom has it in one shape or form, " Huyett said.

Staff believe that over time moisture leaked into the walls, leading

to mold growth.

Although Huyett said that preliminary reports showed that the mold

was not airborne, summer school classes at Tokay High have been

moved to Lodi Middle School.

The district currently has $13.8 million in Measure K bonds and

state grants to be used for school modernization projects, but

Huyett said he believes costs will exceed that amount.

" Whenever we find mold we attack it very aggressively, " Huyett said.

Although he doesn't believe there is a major health risk, Huyett

said that he encouraged anyone who believes that they have mold-

related symptoms to consult their doctor.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, mold-related

symptoms include sneezing, runny noses, red eyes and skin rashes.

Mold can also cause asthma attacks.

" We'll share any information about it with (the person) or their

doctor, " Huyett said.

Contact reporter Dyer at amandad@....

For more on this story, return to http://www.lodinews.com for

updates or see Saturday's News-Sentinel.