Trapnell Elementary School Relocates Students To Portables

[Guest guest]

http://tampatrib.com/News/MGAAUYTO21D.html

Air Problem Relocates Students To Portables

By KARLAYNE R. PARKER kparker@...

Published: May 11, 2002

PLANT CITY - For the rest of the school year, about 100 students at Trapnell

Elementary School will attend class in portable classrooms.

Three fifth-grade classes and one fourth-grade class were moved into four

portables in April after the school district determined a building at the

school has air quality problems, Principal Beth McIntyre said.

Over the years, the building on the campus' southeast corner has had

numerous roof leaks. When it rains, the water leaks in and saturates the

carpeting.

As a result, mold has built up, McIntyre said.

``This is unhealthy for our staff,'' she said. ``We don't want the students

to breath in the mold.''

McIntyre said the district repaired the roof in February. Officials were

trying to keep the students in the building until the end of the school

year.

However, the repairs have not held up, she said.

``We cleaned and vacuumed but it was just so bad,'' McIntyre said.

Repairs to the roof will take place during the summer. Officials expect to

reopen the building to students when the 2002-2003 school year begins in

August.

The building's roof has been a problem since it was redone in 1988 or 1989,

said Parrish, a maintenance unit manager for the Hillsborough County

school district.

``There are varying degrees of leaks'' throughout the building, he said.

Parrish said he did not know how much it would cost to put a new roof on the

building. The district was expecting to put the job out for bid soon. The

building's carpet also is to be replaced with tile, McIntyre said.

So far, there have been no complaints from parents about the students' move

to portables, she said.

PTA President Kari Shepherd, a parent of a fifth-grader, said she is happy

with the planned roof repairs.

Portables have been used for temporary classroom space for many years

throughout the state.

However, a legislative mandate issued several years ago requires all 67

school districts to remove portables as permanent buildings by July.

If the portables remain on a school campus, they must be brought up to state

code, requiring smoke and heat detectors that were not required in the past.

They also must have ventilation and exit signs.

In addition to these four portables, McIntyre said, Trapnell has three

portables used as part of a Head Start program. Two other portables are used

for administrative offices and for storage at the school at 1605 W. Trapnell

Road.

Reporter Karlayne R. can be reached at (813) 754-3763.