New Plan Recommended For Oak Ridge Elementary

July 30, 2009

Oak Ridge Parents, School Staff Partner To Develop Plan

POSTED: 10:21 pm EDT July 23, 2009

UPDATED: 8:32 am EDT July 24, 2009

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National

Institute of Occupational Safety and Health has recommended not reopening Oak

Ridge Elementary until work on the heating, ventilation and air conditioning

system and other initial recommendations have been completed.

Guilford County Schools received preliminary reports Wednesday from NIOSH and

Building Science and Design LLC, which investigated the school last week

at the district's request. District officials also discussed the initial

recommendations with the NIOSH team Wednesday afternoon during a conference

call.

As a result, GCS administration proposes temporarily relocating the school at

other facilities, using the " Plan B " developed in partnership with Oak Ridge

parents and staff members. The proposal will be discussed Thursday night with

the Board of Education as part of its regularly scheduled meeting.

" I believe the school district is moving in the right direction, " said board

member Carlvena . " We really want to solve this problem and get students

and teachers back into the school as quickly as possible. "

As part of the plan, the bulk of the students grades 2 through 5 would be housed

at Oak Ridge Military Academy through October, depending on the successful

outcome of the contract negotiations. Oak Ridge pre-kindergarten students would

be housed at Pearce Elementary, while kindergarten and first grade would be

housed at Colfax Elementary. The estimated cost is $222,000.

Amy Pritchett is a teacher at the school and her daughter attends school there.

" I had three sinus (infections) in a few months, " she said. " My daughter had

bags under her eyes. She would come out of lunch and say, '(It's like there are)

pins sticking out of my throat.' "

Pritchett said that after months of being on edge about what the future held,

she is glad to hear a plan is in place.

" I love that school, " she said. " I am ready for it to be fixed. I don't want to

be anywhere else. "

There is still a lot of work ahead. Staff and parents will work with federal

health officials and a company with expertise in dealing with the issues to put

together a plan of action. They said they hope the plan will address what the

problems are and what exactly needs to be fixed.

The work is expected to be complete by October 2009.

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