Inspecting your kids' school

[Guest guest]

Inspecting your kids' school

May 9, 2008

WRDW-TV - Augusta,GA*

http://www.wrdw.com/schools/headlines/18811659.html

SOUTH CAROLINA --- News 12 first told you about a Bamberg County

school closing and the students moving to one with a history of

mold. We investigated and found out the state has very little power

to help.

The Bamberg School was just inspected on Thursday by the South

Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control and they

found no mold in the school. This happening just one day after we

first told you students will be leaving Ehrhardt Elementary School,

which is closing. They'll be moving to Carroll Elementary,

the school with the moldy history.

But, parents of the kids who go to Ehrhardt do not want that to

happen, blaming, in part, the mold.

But, News 12 found out that DHEC does not have much power at all. In

fact, they can't even shut down a school unless there is an imminent

danger to the public's health. All they can do is recommend and

suggest.

Kids in Ehrhardt were having a good time on Wednesday afternoon.

But, their parents are having a rough time fighting for their

school.

" I will not send them in a health risk. I do what I can to protect

them now. I'm not going to knowingly put them into danger, " says

parent Bonnie Burgess.

Ehrhardt is the school that's closing. A school that parents say has

no problems. News 12 obtained pictures from inside the school from a

parent. We were not allowed into the school.

We also were not allowed into Carroll Campus A and B, where

the kids will likely be going to school next year. That's the school

with the moldy history.

" Every time it appears, we clean it, " says District Superintendent

Phyllis Schwarting.

They may clean it, but there's a big problem she and her district

have to overcome.

" We have had conversations with DHEC. They are not involved in this.

They don't choose to be involved in this, " says Schwarting.

They're not involved because they have no power to.

" The state does not have a policy simply because of the fact when

you talk about mold or mildew, that's something which there is no

federal, national standard, " says DHEC spokesman Thom Berry.

All they can do to protect the kids is to recommend action.

" What recommendations we provide would only be recommendations. They

carry no weight of law, " says Berry.

" It is something to look into from a legislative standpoint not only

to see what DHEC responsibilities are. And if they don't have the

responsibilities or authority, that may be something we can help

them with, " says South Carolina State Senator Shane Massey.

Right now, in Bamberg School District 1, they check every school

every summer for mold. If they find any, they fix the school right

away.

In Aiken County, News 12 found out they only chaeck the schools for

mold if they get information that something might be wrong. If they

find the mold, they fix it right away. They tell News 12, they are

having a lot less problems the past few years with mold issues.

News 12 also learned late Friday afternoon, the same policy is found

in Georgia which the state health department has no power to help

out the school.