Mold in Ohio School

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Courier, The (Findlay, OH)

Parents: Is school making children sick?

DENISE GRANT

Staff Writer

Published: December 5, 2007

Findlay City School officials began fielding complaints last week from

parents who believe something in Central Middle School - possibly mold or

bacteria

- is making their children sick.

Superintendent Dean Wittwer said the school district received the first

complaints last week from two parents. He said ongoing tests of air quality in

the building show it to be safe.

Wittwer said Central Middle School, which was heavily damaged by floodwaters

in August, was thoroughly cleaned, dried and disinfected before students

returned to the building on Sept. 24.

Efforts to dry and clean the school began almost immediately after the

floodwaters receded, he said.

Still, a of Findlay says she doesn't trust the building.

says her child developed an unexplained rash within days of

starting school at Central. The rash, which looks something like a heat rash,

appeared on the child's neck and stomach. Doctors prescribed antibiotics and

steroids to help clear it up, but have not identified the cause.

" He comes home every day, itching and with a headache, " said .

Wallen, whose child also attends Central, tells a similar story.

Her child also has an unexplained rash and is being treated with antibiotics

and steroids. The rash also appeared on the back of the child's neck, and

while it appears to be clearing up, it is leaving scars.

" The thing about it is, she seems to only be itching after she has been in

that school. She didn't itch over Thanksgiving break or on the weekends, and

no one else in our household has these symptoms, " Wallen said.

Wallen didn't suspect it might have something to do with Central Middle

School until she spoke to last week, and learned that the children

have

similar symptoms. They reported their concerns to the school.

" We're curious to know how many other parents have noticed similar symptoms

with their children, " Wallen said.

believes there is something wrong with the building and it should

be condemned.

" It was under a lot of water. Other buildings that were in that area have

been condemned, " said.

Superintendent Wittwer said the flood could have caused irreversible damage

to the building, if the cleanup had been delayed.

The city schools paid Fire and Water Cleaning Specialist, sburg,

$1.28 million to dry and clean the building. The company pumped 5½ feet of

water out of the school's kitchen and cafeteria in the basement; 18 inches of

water out of lower-level administrative offices; and 12 to 13 inches out of

the boiler room.

The flooded areas were then stripped of all affected furniture and

equipment, along with carpeting, woodwork and wet drywall. The entire building

was

then sealed off and heaters and air scrubbers were used to dry the building out

quickly.

Facilities Director Dennis McPheron said air quality tests taken in October

found elevated mold spores in two areas of the school, but not as a result of

the flood. One area was due to a leak in Central's roof, and another was due

to a leaking water fountain. Both leaks have been fixed, he said.

McPheron explained that air quality testing assures that mold spore levels

inside of the building are lower than those found in the air outside. The

goal, he said, is to keep the building dry and clean so that the spores can't

find a place to grow.

" The air outside actually has more mold spores than is acceptable for inside

of a building, " he said.

The women also expressed concerns that a portion of Central Middle School's

basement remains unfinished and is walled off to students, and that children

are being allowed to eat their lunch in the school's cafeteria, which was

heavily inundated with floodwater.

Again, McPheron assured that the building is safe.

The walled off part of the basement level used to house the district's

administrative offices. It is clean, McPheron said, and it will eventually be

restored. The area has been walled off to keep children out.

Since the flood, school officials have been hesitant to return the

administrative offices to the basement of Central, but no final decision has

been

made.

Space for the district's administrative offices is currently being leased at

1219 W. Main Cross St. at a cost of $84,059 per year. The school district

expects at least six months of the lease payments to be reimbursed by the state

and federal governments, as part of flood aid.

McPheron said the cafeteria at Central is still being restored, and for now,

hot lunches are being brought to the school.

" The cafeteria was totally stripped after the flood. We didn't keep

anything, not even a cooking pot. It is going to (be) all new, " said Wittwer.

Storage trailers and dumpsters behind the school will also soon be removed,

but McPheron said the trailers contain nothing that could be sickening the

children.

Contact staff writer Grant at:

(419) 427-8412

denisegrant@...

Copyright 2007 Courier, The (Findlay, OH)

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