Leaking water creates mold, air quality problems at five county schools

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Leaking water creates mold, air quality problems at five county

schools

Hilton Head Island Packet - Hilton Head Island,SC*

By PETER FROST

pfrost@...

843-706-8169

Sunday, November 11, 2007

http://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/story/76238.html

Since the beginning of this school year, at least five schools in

southern Beaufort County have reported problems with water leaking,

according to school officials, teachers and district officials.

Those schools include Hilton Head Island High, Hilton Head Island

International Baccalaureate Elementary, M.C. Riley Elementary,

Bluffton High and Daufuskie Elementary.

Students were pulled out of Daufuskie Elementary for at least six

days earlier this school year, and parents have removed students

from at least two other district schools due to concerns about

compromised air quality.

District spokesman said water problems and air quality

concerns are constant challenges for Beaufort County's 28 schools.

Even in one of the district's newest schools -- the three-year-old

Bluffton High -- problems related to leaking water have been

reported this year.

" Given our environment, which includes low-lying ground and very

damp conditions, indoor air quality is an ongoing challenge, "

said. " But, we do not take concerns lightly and we've been

very proactive in addressing them. The health of school workers,

staff, students and visitors is critically important to us. "

Mold and related pollutants can cause serious health problems with

some people, including those with asthma and other respiratory

issues.

said systems are in place for teachers and administrators

who find potential problems with mold or leaking ceilings to report

them to the district. Once those concerns are filed, he said, a

maintenance crew is sent to inspect the problems to determine if a

fix is required.

Those fixes have been frequent -- and expensive.

Although said the district wasn't immediately able to

provide a total cost of water-damage related repairs, he

acknowledged expenses have been extensive.

" We've got a lot of (buildings with) flat roofs, and that tends to

create pooling and open up the vulnerability to leaks, "

said. " When you get 2 or 3 inches of rain all at once, you tend to

have a lot of issues that pop up, and it costs money each time that

happens. "

Aside from fixing frequent roof leaks, the district has also

systematically been removing carpet in classrooms over the past six

or seven years and replacing them with tile and area rugs,

said.

THE PROBLEMS

• Major rainfalls in July flooded several buildings at the Hilton

Head schools campus, leading to a $60,000 district project to

replace all carpeting with tile at the International Baccalaureate

elementary school, district officials said Friday.

Water backed up into the school's media center, cafeteria and some

classrooms.

Although the district made some repairs shortly after the damage was

reported, its maintenance team continues to monitor the school's

structure, air quality and other measures to identify any water-

related damages, district officials said.

" Right now our immediate focus is on the water damage at Hilton Head

IBE, starting with replacing the damaged carpet with tile, " Phyllis

White, the district's chief operational services officer said in a

statement.

• At M.C. Riley Elementary School, maintenance crews removed water-

damaged carpet from several rooms due to mold concerns before the

start of the school year, said Jay Parks, the school's principal.

• The leaking roof at Bluffton High has damaged ceiling tiles and

resulted in buckets being placed throughout hallways during heavy

rains, teachers and parents said. It's unclear what is being done to

address those problems.

" There are problems with the roof leaking, " said. " But I

don't know of any real problems with mold. "

• Students at Daufuskie Island Elementary missed at least six days

of class and the district paid more than $30,000 to fix a mold

problem earlier this school year.

• Hilton Head Island High School has had several roof leaks and

carpet damage over the past several years, teachers and

administrators said.

First-year Principal O'Nan said maintenance workers have been

to the school several times within the past six months fixing leaks

in the roof, damaged ceiling tiles and other problems.

" Of course, this building is big, and like a car, it needs to have

regular maintenance, " O'Nan said. " But nothing to me causes alarm or

panic, because the district has been on top of things. "

She said she encourages teachers, students and staff members to

report problems to her as soon as they find them so she can pass

along those concerns to district officials.

" Remember, I work in here, too. I don't want something to happen to

myself, " O'Nan said. " If something is wrong, believe me, I want it

fixed, and that's what I'm telling all of our teachers and parents. "