MSK staff says mold issue makes school unsafe for teachers, students

[Guest guest]

By Dolce

ldolce@...

February 04, 2010 2:00

MSK staff says mold issue makes school unsafe for teachers, students

Employees cite mold problems, demand to be removed from building

http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20100204-NEWS-2040372

AMKENNEBUNK — More than 60 staff members at the Middle School of the Kennebunks

signed a letter sent to RSU 21 Superintendent Dolloff in December,

demanding they be removed from the building because it is a " danger " to the

health of both staff and students.

The letter states that as many as 34 staff members are suffering from health

problems as a result of mold issues at the school.

One staff member, the letter states, has been ordered by her doctor to stay out

of the school for at least six weeks because of " major complications " from

fungus in the building.

" Due to this and the fact that the building remains a danger to our health and

the health of our students, we would like to request to be removed from the

building, " the letter states. " We have felt that the school is not a safe place

for some time now and we have been patient through many interventions. At this

point it is clear to us that something more must be done before any more of our

staff members and students are harmed by the state of our building. "

And one staff member who signed the letter noted, " People are sick, this needs

to be discussed in a public forum by staff, administration, students and

families. "

Dolloff said this week that he met with the concerned staff members in December

to explain the district's efforts to get to the bottom of the issue.

" I told them the steps we're taking, " he said.

Those include having a team from the National Institute of Occupational Safety

and Health (NIOSH) visit the school next week to look at the testing data,

interview staff members and review their medical records and make

recommendations to the district.

" They will help us determine if there is a link, " Dolloff said. " Science hasn't

provided us with a link between the teachers who don't feel well and the air

quality in the building. "

A history of problems

The $16 million building, which opened in 2002, has been plagued with problems.

According to former district operations manager Tom Maines, the building's

windows and flashings were improperly installed and the roof was sabotaged by a

sub-contractor, allowing water to leak into the building.

In the past two years alone, the district has spent more than a quarter of a

million dollars on making repairs to the school.

Maines acknowledged last fall that the building was " poorly constructed, " and

that mold mitigation and remediation needed to been done by the district at

different times.

Staff members maintain that the cost to the district has been high, but that the

cost to their own health and wellbeing may be even higher.

In 2006, staff members for the first time publicly acknowledged that there was a

problem with the building, with Kennebunk/Kennebunkport Educators Association

President and MSK art teacher McCarthy telling the Coast Star that a number

of people in the building were suffering from sinus infections, sore throats and

runny noses and eyes.

At that time, air-quality tests showed five areas of the school had tested

positive for mold, and the district developed a remediation plan.

While extensive work was done on the school, the staff members continued to

experience symptoms. In June of 2008, the district acknowledged that six

teachers had asked to be evaluated for exposure to mold.

Serious concerns

Dolloff said this week that no new workman's compensation claims had come across

his desk since he stepped in in July of last year.

He said one teacher has been re-assigned to another school in the district at

the recommendation of her doctor.

He characterized the letter from staff as not a call for closing the school, but

rather the staff members' " stepping it up a notch " with their concerns.

" They set out their expectations around air-quality issues (at the meeting), " he

said, adding that once the district explained what was being done to rectify the

situation, he felt staff members were on board and eager to participate in next

week's NIOSH team visit.

While several teachers did not return messages seeking comment, McCarthy did say

the staff is standing behind what was written.

" The letter speaks for itself, " she said. " There are serious health concerns. "

McCarthy said she and union Vice President Tom Battles did not wish to speak on

the staff's behalf.

She did say, though, that she is awaiting the results of new tests on the

building's slab and some of the classrooms, and that staff members were asked to

sign up for 30-minute meetings with members of the NIOSH team.

" We're looking forward to that 30 minutes, " she said.

McCarthy and Battles both said they had met with the staff of MSK Wednesday

morning, Feb. 3, to talk over the upcoming visit and other issues.

" There are health concerns in the building, " Battles said. " We're discussing

these concerns. "

One staff member who asked not to be named said employees were given the option

of having a skin swab taken and tested, and that most staff members seemed

inclined to go forward with that test.

Still, people are reluctant to go public with their concerns.

Worried parent

Of course, the staff members aren't the only ones worried about the building's

safety. Several parents who spoke with the Coast Star expressed concern about

their children being in the school now or having to go there in the future.

Fleming, who has two daughters in the school, said she can't help but

wonder if her older daughter's health problems are linked to the mold issues at

MSK.

" She has missed 22 days this school year, " she said. " That's a lot of days. "

Fleming said her daughter never missed that many days of school at other

district schools, and that most of her missed days have been the result of

terrible migraine headaches.

" She complains a lot about her headaches after being in school, " she said.

And while Fleming said she didn't at first link the headaches to the school, her

daughter definitely has.

" She definitely feels she's not feeling well in school, " she said.

Fleming became so concerned with her daughter's health that she called the

superintendent's office last year.

" He assured me that there was no mold in the school, " she said. " That it was

tested and that it was clean and fine. "

On Dec. 11, Dolloff sent a letter home to MSK parents, explaining what work had

been done on the school and stating that tests had shown the school to have

" exceptional air quality. "

He said the district had been aggressive in dealing with any trouble areas and

was continuing to work with staff members experiencing health problems.

" At this time, the scientific evidence does not confirm a cause-and-effect

relationship between the air quality at MSK and ailments experienced by our

teachers, " he wrote.

Despite that, he said, the district would still search for answers.

For Fleming, though, the district's efforts seem to be coming too late. And as a

parent, she feels she has few options about sending her daughters to school.

" The district hasn't done enough, obviously, if the teachers are going to this

extreme, " she said. " I don't want my kids in school with mold, but I feel like

my hands are tied. I'm not going to home-school them. "

Staff letter to the district

To Dolloff and all RSU 21 Personnel Concerned:

As you know, the Middle School of the Kennebunks has been involved in mold

related remediation for many years now. Many staff members at the middle school

have been suffering health concerns related to this mold issue during this long

and difficult process. We have been patient while many attempts have been made

to rectify the situation. The health issues are still present and growing with

at least 34 of our staff members.

It has come to our attention that one member of our staff has been ordered by

her doctor to remain out of the building for 6 weeks due to major complications

that arose from the fungus present in our building. Due to this and the fact

that the building remains a danger to our health and the health of our students,

we would like to request to be removed from the building. We have felt that the

school is not a safe place for some time now and we have been patient through

many interventions. At this point it is clear to us that something more must be

done before any more of our staff members and students are harmed by the state

of our building.

We did not come to this decision lightly, and we know in these difficult

economic times, this request is not ideal. However, we feel strongly that the

health and well being of our staff and students is of utmost importance. It is

our request to be relocated by the beginning of the new year in order to protect

ourselves from this unhealthy environment.

Thank you,

The staff of the Middle School of the Kennebunks signed below