Parents waiting for test

[Guest guest]

Parents waiting for test

Greenwich Time - Greenwich,CT*

By Hoas Nguyen

Staff Writer

Article Launched: 05/20/2008

http://www.greenwichtime.com/ci_9317260

The jury is still out on whether officials were correct in saying

that mold found at a modular school was not harmful to students and

staff, according to a certified industrial hygienist hired by

Hamilton Avenue School parents.

" I don't see how they can make that leap of faith, I certainly

can't, " said Bob Leighton, a certified industrial hygienist and

president of Forest Hills, N.Y.-based Leighton Associates.

Leighton, who was hired by parents, was recently allowed to run air

quality tests at the modular once used by Hamilton Avenue School.

Those results aren't expected until next week. Parents who have been

fighting district officials over the handling of the mold discovery

declined to speculate on the results.

" I'm not even going to go there, " parent DiBella said. " I just

want to wait to see what our guy gets. "

The modular used by Hamilton Avenue School was shut down in March

after officials discovered mold in the roof overhangs, crawl space

and parts of the exterior walls. The potential health risks of mold

prompted officials to evacuate students and staff to other schools

across the district.

School officials brought in environmental consultants who said the

building had a mold problem but because mold spores were found

mostly in exterior sections, they were unlikely to have reached the

classroom space occupied by students and staff.

But Leighton said he is unconvinced because air quality tests taken

in early March by a consultant hired by the

district showed elevated levels of mold at several spots.

" I don't know how that translates to no problem, " Leighton said. " To

me, there's half-dozen areas that he found problems. "

Mold levels decreased in subsequent air quality tests, although the

last tests conducted by the district's consultant, Schwartz

of Scarsdale, N.Y., showed " marginally elevated " levels of mold in

two hallways, according to his report.

Schwartz has said those high mold spore counts likely came as a

result of workers cutting out sections of the ceiling and walls to

examine the moldy areas in the exterior areas, which may have

released spores into the air. Subsequent surface tests showed normal

background levels of mold, according to Schwartz, who yesterday

stood behind his findings that there was minimal health risks to

students and staff in the classrooms.

" On any issue, there's going to be some divergent opinions, " he

said. " I stand by the testing. I stand by the results. "

Officials are planning to remediate the modular by removing the

moldy parts and making other structural improvements that will allow

the building to be used for Glenville School in the fall.

The planned remediation was one of the reasons officials gave for

initially resisting efforts to grant Leighton access to the modular.

They relented after the parents' lawyer contacted the town's

attorney. The lawyers worked out a compromise that granted Leighton

and a parent representative access to run the tests if they agreed

not to open any new walls. Opening the walls could release mold

spores into the classroom and exacerbate efforts to remediate the

modular.

Board of Education member Moriarty said a certified

environmental hygienist hired by the board trailed Leighton during

the testing so that a parallel test could be run to make sure

results are accurate. The results of those tests also are likely to

be available next week.

" We'll all be smarter next week, " Moriarty said.