Update - Parents, students, staff share health fears at Corona

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Parents, students, staff share health fears at Corona

The Arizona Republic,Phoenix,AZ*

Dianna M. Náñez

Feb. 28, 2008

http://www.azcentral.com/community/chandler/articles/0228tr-

corona0229.html

A forum organized to ease the minds of the Corona del Sol High

School community turned to outrage as teachers, parents and students

stood one after another to describe tumors, cancers, asthma attacks

and other diseases plaguing their bodies since coming to the school.

The Tempe Union High School District had hoped to quell fears and

rumors about an aging ventilation system partly to blame, according

to a 2006 health study, for causing mold, raising carbon dioxide

levels and spurring health complaints from staff.

The district has cleaned up mold but was denied emergency funds from

the state to repair the ventilation system, which officilas say will

cost some $17 million.

The school was built in the 1970s received federal funding to

incorporate solar technology. The lack of airflow due to the unique

design is to blame for the school's air-quality problems, according

to Health Effects Group.

Superintendent Steve Adolph contacted the Arizona School Risk

Retention Trust, an insurance company for state schools, after

receiving staff complaints in 2006 about the school possibly making

people sick. The insurance company commissioned Health Effects Group

to do a study, which was paid for by the district and insurance

company, according to district spokeswoman Littell.

The study showed mold potentially existed in several areas,

including the school's preschool and a men's restroom, as well as in

hallway and classroom carpets. Though the mold was not elevated

beyond normal levels, according to the study, recommendations were

made to have professionals clean the mold, replace the carpet and

repair the ventilation system.

The district has since spent millions replacing hallway carpet and

cleaning mold, but has not been able to afford replacing the

ventilation system or removing the carpet in classrooms.

Adolph, representatives from Corona, Health Effects Group and

attorneys for the district took turns during Wednesday's meeting

explaining that the school was safe.

But parents' fears and indignation boiled over as a Health Effects

Group representative explained that their study found the school's

carbon dioxide levels exceeded by up to four times the nationally

recommended levels. The crowd was audibly enraged as teachers spoke

of at least eight co-workers with benign brain tumors and students

described coughing, lethargy " and colds that never seem to end. "

Resident A.J. Lafaro said he blamed the Legislature for not fully

funding building renewal funds for schools to make repairs.

According to attorney Tim Hogan, the school would have nearly $13

million to complete the repairs if the Legislature had not voted to

short the state schools funding. Hogan is representing the district

in a lawsuit it joined this month against the state after Corona was

denied emergency funds.

" This is not a taxpayer problem. This is a Legislature (problem).

Where is . . . District 17 and 20 representatives, " Lafaro asked.

District 17 representative Meg Burton Cahill was the only one to

announce her presence.

" We don't have the numbers (of votes), " she said. " We need

(legislators) who do more than say they support schools. We need

(legislators) who say they support funding schools. "

Parent Bob Morash stood to describe how his son, a recent Corona

graduate, had just had an operation on a brain tumor and lost vision

in one of his eyes. He said the doctor could offer no reason for the

tumor and his family had no history of such illnesses.

" How many other kids are going to come down with that? " he

asked. " There's something very wrong here. "

Phares, whose wife has taught at Corona since 1991,

described her life since she was diagnosed with a benign brain

tumor. Glick and several other teachers asked why illnesses

were not being documented and studied.

Newton, a Health Effects industrial hygienist, sparked a

second wave of anger when she informed the audience that Health

Effects proposed exactly that following its 2006 study, but that the

proposal was not funded.

Ormston of the Arizona School Risk Retention Trust, in an

interview immediately following the forum, acknowledged she had

attended a meeting at the school with Newton and was aware of the

recommendation to study illnesses. Ormston said she did not know

whether the insurance company had declined to fund the study.

Lynch, also with the insurance company, also said she did not

know whether the study was formally denied. She said the

trust " provided payment for the studies that were in regards to the

building because that's the type of study we provide payment for. "

Resident Brem, whose son graduated recently from Corona and

whose daughter attends the school, said after hearing illnesses had

been reported to the state and district for years, she no longer

trusted that they would put safety before money.

" You guys should have been telling us . . . you were risking the

safety of my child, your children and every other child that goes to

this school since 2001, " she said. " You tell us about staph

infections . . . lice. Why not this? I will not allow (my daughter)

back into that school. "

Adolph said his own daughter had attended the school and he had

taught at Corona for more than a decade.

" If I believed . . . for one minute . . . that the health of any

students or staff was in danger, I'd have closed this school down, "

he said.

Kathy Cunningham, one of the last speakers of the evening and a

mother of a special-needs child at the school, described grand mal

seizures her son had started having since attending the school four

years ago.

" He will never make it to his graduation date, " she said to

Adolph. " Will you help me . . . will you help me transfer (him)? "

Although Adolph repeated that there was no proof the school was

causing illnesses, he said the district would help parents and

teachers switch schools if they wanted to.

Littell confirmed Thursday that a handful of parents had made

arrangements to move their children but no teachers had yet done so.