Mold at Lecanto Middle School stirs concern

[Guest guest]

http://www.sptimes.com/2002/02/24/Citrus/Mold_at_school_stirs_.shtml

Mold at school stirs concern

A school district consultant finds no significant environmental problems at

Lecanto Middle, but reports of symptoms worry some parents and staff

members.

By BARBARA BEHRENDT, Times Staff Writer

© St. sburg Times

published February 24, 2002

LECANTO -- didn't think much of it last August when her

11-year-old son came home sick during his first week in sixth grade

at Lecanto Middle School.

Over the next several weeks, the sick days began to accumulate, and

began to wonder.

" I thought maybe he was being a kid, thinking that if he called mom, he

wouldn't have to go to school, " said. " By the time he got back

home, he'd be feeling fine. "

The headaches, scratchy eyes and other complaints continued, so she took

to the doctor last October. After a series of tests, the doctor

concluded that nothing was physically wrong, but something in the boy's

environment was making him sick. The conclusion: Her son was having a toxic

reaction to mold in his school.

The health problems have all but disappeared since transferred to

Inverness Middle School.

Meanwhile, had collected a heap of anecdotal evidence that some

students, staff and parents who help at Lecanto Middle were getting sick

from something in the building for some time.

She took her concerns to top school officials. She went to the Citrus County

Health Department. When she didn't get the answers she felt she needed to

hear, she went public.

A test by the school's district's environmental consultant concluded that

there were no significant environmental problems, but questions

those conclusions.

Officials say they have followed up on the concerns they have heard. They

have checked out the room where had reported feeling sick and made

some minor changes there. They say their consultant determined there were no

problems that needed to be addressed further.

* * *

, who was 's sixth grade science teacher,

said school officials should know well who has had problems and where to

look.

After all, she said, staff has been raising the issues through proper

channels for years.

She once thought her scratchy eyes were due to contact lenses. Then she got

surgery to correct her vision problem, but the eye itching continued.

After raised the question about the classroom, said she

started to talk to other teachers. Pretty soon she too had heard a variety

of similar stories. " We all had pieces of the puzzle, " she said.

said the teacher who worked in her classroom before her said she

had health problems while there and she didn't want to return to the room.

But the teacher also noted that she knows there are rooms in the school with

bigger problems -- moisture problems or smells that staff try to cover up or

eliminate.

" I've gone to my building administrator and lodged my complaint. . . .

That's what we've all been doing, and that's where it's been stopping, "

said. " All I want is honest testing, a clean room and a healthy

environment. "

She said she worries about the children in the school. said her own

nephew has been going through a whole series of tests because he has been so

ill since he began attending Lecanto Middle.

* * *

started talking to and to other parents. She heard of

moldy books taken from the school's media center and destroyed. Several

parents reported that their children, who had previously suffered no major

medical problems, began to show respiratory problems and allergic reactions

while in school.

When filled out the transfer form for her son, she said she was

told she could not list the health issue as her reason for seeking the

transfer. Instead, she was told to cite a child care issue.

She questioned a school administrator and Rich Hilgert, coordinator of

student services for the school district. School officials cannot talk about

the individual case, but Hilgert said that, to approve a transfer based on a

health concern, documentation would have to be provided.

He said he has never asked anyone to lie on a form. And he has never

received any documentation of a health threat to students at Lecanto Middle.

" I had the result of his ('s) tests in my hand. They never asked for

them. They never asked for the doctor's note, " said , who had

brought her father to the meeting as a witness.

Not only did school officials not ask for documentation, she said, but they

told her that even with documentation they could not approve 's

transfer for that reason.

Finally she agreed to list both reasons on the form.

Beth Wilkinson would like to move her 12-year-old daughter, Hensman,

to another school. But since Wilkinson is legally blind and cannot drive,

she can't get the girl to another bus stop.

" has asthma, but the problem since she started at this school has

escalated, " said Wilkinson, who has considered home schooling. " She is

constantly sick. I get her healthy and send her back and she's sick again. .

.. . The doctor said maybe it's all in the school. "

And for , there is no option to call her mother to come get her. She

must stay at school until the bus comes for her. That means plenty of time

in the school clinic.

Kat Navarro works as a volunteer at Lecanto Middle. She was recently out

sick for two weeks and made sure she was healthy before returning to the

school. " I wasn't in there for five minutes when some little kid looked up

and me and said, " Miss Kat, are you crying?' "

Last week she lodged her complaints about the school both as a volunteer and

a mother with two sixth-grade children who have had allergic reactions and

an extreme number of illnesses this school year.

One of the boys " is so congested when he comes home that he doesn't want to

do his homework, " Navarro said. " The other child, he doesn't complain, but

his eyes puff up. "

She added, " It takes about five minutes to start getting congested in

there. "

knows not all children or adults are going to have a reaction to

the molds. Her daughter , who is also in the sixth grade, never had

any health issues at Lecanto. She also transferred to Inverness Middle a few

weeks after went there.

But for those who do, the health consequences can be lasting and severe and

so can the academic results, she said.

Colasanti, a health and safety specialist with the school system,

examined the room and found elevated levels of carbon dioxide. The levels

were not dangerous, but they did indicate an air circulation problem.

Outside, he found a clogged air vent, which was then cleaned.

Inside he found plants that could have harbored mold and moisture, and some

problems with the thermostat. Later he called in GLE Associates Inc., the

environmental consultant for the school district. That company also found

the higher-than-normal levels of carbon dioxide and noted that some

symptoms, such as headache or malaise, could result. But the levels were not

high enough to cause concern.

The consultant also found 10 times more mold colonies inside the classroom

than outside, an indicator that the mold was growing according to the

standard described by the consultant. But they also concluded that the

numbers were not out of line with what would be expected in a classroom.

Local health department officials referred the results of the study to their

regional air quality expert, Jim Padgett.

He said he did not recall seeing the report but, upon hearing the results,

he agreed that neither the carbon dioxide levels or the mold levels were

particularly troublesome. He agreed with Colasanti's conclusion that the

higher-than-normal carbon dioxide was a flag for some problem with the air

circulation in the room, which had already been dealt with by the district.

" Air quality is one of those things that we just don't know everything we

need to about, " he said. " Still, I don't see anything or hear anything (from

the report) that would raise any flags. "

But Padgett acknowledged that even low levels of certain molds or

contaminants in the air can still have a real impact to sensitive

individuals. He also said that if other people continue to raise issues

about illness in the school, that might also be a signal that the problem

should get a closer look.

questions the GLE report findings. She had a mold contamination in

her own house and did research to find out how it might be affecting her

family. She said she is sure that is not what made sick because the

levels were far lower in her home than in the school.

She also said that the levels of contaminants found in the school were alone

reason for officials to do more testing.

The independent consultant she hired to mitigate problems in her own home,

EnviroHome Inc., reviewed the findings of the district's consultant and

agreed that there was no emergency. They also concluded that more

ventilation needed to be added to the room and that the mold levels inside

compared to outside " should be further investigated. "

The school's administrators have asked staff to come forward if they have

had a health issue, but Colasanti said none have. If parents have concerns,

he said they should contact him or the school.

He said he feels he has done all he can do at this point " unless I can get

some other concerns so I can know a direction that we can go. "

said she hopes parents will attend an informational program on mold

contamination slated for 7 p.m. Tuesday at First United Methodist Church on

County Road 581 in Inverness.

" I want the parents and the people to be asking if there has been a

problem, " said. " I want them to think about whether their children

have been sicker " since going to the school.