Mold forces May Whitney closed

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Mold forces May Whitney closed

Students will start school year late, spend entire year in different

buildings

Chicago Daily Herald - Chicago,IL*

By Madhu Krishnamurthy

mkrishnamurthy@...

Friday, August 17, 2007

http://www.dailyherald.com/news/lakestory.asp?id=341014 & cc=k & tc= & t=

May Whitney meeting

•A parent information meeting on May Whitney Elementary School's

student relocation is set for 9 to 11 a.m. Monday in the library of

the Annex, 100 Church St.

May Whitney Elementary School in Lake Zurich is closed for the

academic year because of mold, district officials said Thursday.

The 436 registered students and about 45 teachers and aides assigned

to the building will be relocated to other facilities. Classes won't

begin as scheduled Aug. 22, Lake Zurich Unit District 95 spokesman

Jim Jennings said.

The start of the school year for May Whitney students has been

delayed until after Labor Day, possibly as late as Sept. 10, he

said.

The mold appeared after an Aug. 6 storm caused flooding in the back

hallway and cafeteria of the school at 120 Church St. Maintenance

crews could not immediately dry out the building because of a 36-

hour power outage caused by a lightning strike, officials said.

Cleaning crews also exposed some asbestos by pulling up water-soaked

carpeting and loosening floor tiles. The asbestos has been contained

and air quality samples for airborne asbestos are negative, Jennings

said.

But a sample of drywall in the flooded areas tested positive for

Stachybotrys chartarum, a greenish-black, slimy mold that can

produce toxic chemicals.

Mold exposure doesn't always result in health problems. Yet, people

who are sensitive to mold may experience symptoms such as nasal

stuffiness, eye irritation, wheezing, skin irritation or more severe

reactions, according to the Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention.

District officials said they are not taking chances.

" Now that we've gotten these reports back, we need to close the

building for the year, " May Whitney Principal Deb Bruemmer

said. " We've been down this road before, and I think we have to err

on the side of caution. "

Bruemmer could not say how much mold must be cleaned up or how long

the work might take.

Officials initially planned to move only the third- and fourth-grade

classes and a few other rooms into District 95's vacant middle

school, known as the Annex building at 100 Church St.

That building was leased to Gavin Elementary District 37 for the

2005-06 school year. Now, May Whitney's classrooms and offices may

have to move in there.

May Whitney, built in 1949, is one of three aging elementary

buildings being considered for demolition. It has not been closed

entirely because of flooding in least 15 years, but flooding has

always been a problem.

" Given the history we've had with this building, we're just taking

what we think is the most safe and conservative route right now, "

said Kathy Brown, school board president and a member of the May

Whitney parent-teacher organization. " I think it highlights the

unique difficulty that we have there, which is just not being able

to prevent some of this flooding from recurring throughout the

course of the year. "

District officials said they are considering all options for

relocating students and staff.

" It's going to create a logistical nightmare for that school, "

Jennings said. " We expect a decision on that to be finalized next

week. "